Jungle Fury, New Arrivals
by Titanium Gold
Summary: A young warrior chef named Carter gets sucked into the world of the Power Rangers. With few options, he joins the Jungle Fury Rangers and attempts to find a way home - but what if he finds a reason to stay in Ocean Bluff instead? Lily/OC
1. Training and Travel, Meetings and Musing

Disclaimer: As a simple 21-year-old fledgling chef, dishwasher and fanfiction writer who is currently neck-deep in college debt, I doubt I could even _afford_ the rights to Power Rangers, much less own them – so please, don't sue, because I really don't own the rights in question; that honour is Disney's, Saban's and so forth. Rising Sun Karate Academy is a legitimate martial arts school owned and operated by Jason David Frank; its presence in this fic is a cameo, and no – I'm not a student there; furthermore, most of the info I use in this fic is guesswork in that regard. The only thing tied to this fic that I own is an OC who you'll meet in this chapter. Here's hoping he's not too Gary Stu-like; if he is, let me know and I'll attempt to make the appropriate adjustments. Any similarities between this fic and others are purely coincidental; I neither dabble in plagiarism nor stand for it. Finally, if you're looking for professional-grade writing, _why are you on FFN in the first place?_

That said, on with the show. Oh, and can someone tell me if I'm writing RJ properly? It's been a few years since I wrote Zen...

* * *

_**Jungle Fury: New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 1: Training and Travel, Meetings and Musings**_

"_Oh, hell no!__" – James Carter, "Rush Hour"_

"_I'm a warship – and I don't like running away from a fight." – 'Rommie', "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda"_

_

* * *

_

_(October 4__th__ 2009, 1800 hours)_

Bowing to his sensei, Carter Sisko – a 21-year-old African-American adult, tall, broad-shouldered, bald-headed by choice and currently rather sweaty – couldn't help but grin; his latest tri-weekly training in Toso Kune Do at the Rising Sun Karate Academy had gone off rather well; supplemented with his personal daily workouts, the African-American man looked to be at the peak of his life. Of course, having just graduated high school and a one-year intensive culinary course back-to-back, all with honours, on top of acquiring his green belt in Toso Kune Do over the last 16 months, the young man certainly felt his best. His friends the world over would likely agree that he was at his prime and wasn't likely to leave it _just_ yet.

However, for all his extraordinary physical and academic talents, Carter Sisko was an ordinary guy with a single vice. He was a fan of Power Rangers, among other fantasy-like fiction such as Harry Potter – thankfully, though, he wasn't a rabid fan; his life didn't stop at every new episode or book and he wasn't obsessed with meeting the actors, though the fact he was simply a fan of such things was a source of much amusement to all his friends. As Carter headed home through Santa Clarita after a relaxing shower, the young adult – watching his surroundings with a keen eye the entire time – mused on the final season of one of his favourite live-action shows. Power Rangers RPM, the finale having aired earlier that week, hadn't been everything he expected, but in his opinion it made for a fairly decent send-off for the entire saga. Despite that, Carter considered Jungle Fury the _true_ finale, given how the planet hadn't... well, been _slagged_ to get the story going in that season.

_The culinary ties didn't hurt either._ Carter mused. _I mean, really – a kung Fu master __**and**__ a chef as the mentor? That's awesome!_

Little did the fledgling chef know that he was about to be dumped right in the middle of it all... or that it would result in some rather interesting consequences. As Carter headed past his former home/place of employment – a now-defunct building that was once a pizzeria, near the dojo he'd just trained at – he saw a flash of light and felt a small wind gust. Blinking away the spots in his vision, the young adult took subtle glances at his surroundings, looking around for the source of the light that had momentarily blinded him. As he headed towards the back alley next to his old 'home', seeing another weaker flash, the young martial artist was left agape for a moment as he saw the bright light of some kind of portal, which was showing images of what was on the other side.

"Oh, hell no," Carter breathed, "This can't be real – no _way_!"

_Lily Chilman. _A section of the chef's brain realized absently, ignoring his verbal musings. _She's battling the Rinshi and Rantipede from 'A Taste of Poison'... and __**losing!?**__ This isn't how it went – Lily fought Rantipede __**himself **__and won! She didn't fight the Rinshi; Casey did! But there's no sign of him or Theo!_

_**It doesn't matter who fought the Rinshi in Ranger canon, Sisko.**_Another voice in Carter's head retorted. _**She needs backup, and her teammates clearly aren't coming as fast as they should. Two of them aren't even Rangers yet. Are you going to stand here and do nothing? You didn't spend ten years training in the martial arts just for the hell of it, did you? For 'shits and giggles', I believe the phrase is?**_

_No... No, I didn't. I trained in fighting and culinary for the defense of others and of myself; to make a difference._ Carter mused. _It doesn't matter what universe they're a part of._

_**Then get your butt in that portal, man – go and help her out! The situation isn't supposed to be like this, and right now only you can change it! **_The other voice cried. Carter's expression turned feral as Lily was blasted enough to force her to power down; his jaw tightened, his muscles (however sore they were from the afternoon's training) went taut as blood started pumping and adrenaline began surging, and after tightening the straps of the backpack he had on his shoulders, the young warrior chef sprinted through the portal, landing on his feet and – despite the sand of the beach – executing a _flawless_ roundhouse kick and sending a Rinshi flying into a group of its kin before settling into a relaxed battle stance. He barely noticed that unlike his home universe, it was the middle of the afternoon in Ocean Bluff.

_These bastards look a lot creepier in person._ Carter mused, before letting out a battle cry and lashing out at the first Rinshi to take a swipe at the Yellow Ranger behind him.

And thus, the battle resumed.

* * *

Lily, meanwhile, was agape with surprise as she slowly stood up, gripping her Solar Morpher in one hand.

_What the...? Who is this guy? _The Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger wondered. _And why did he help me? Most people would run – heck, since Rangers started showing up on Earth most people __**have**__ run from the monsters!_

As she re-morphed and assumed her signature stance, Lily smiled upon seeing her saviour twist away from the energy attacks of the Rinshi before sending a pair flying with his fists alone.

_Whoever he is, I think he'd make a good Ranger with guts and moves like that – and he looks... wow, he may have a shaved head, but he's __**cute**__!_ The former cheerleader mused as Carter locked eyes with her for an instant.

That was the Cheetah student's last conscious thought before she threw herself into the battle once more, dealing with the Rinshi in her way to get to Rantipede. Even the later reprimanding from Casey and Theo (upon their arrival) and RJ (once he noticed his workers were A.W.O.L.) couldn't overwhelm the thrill that ran through Lily at the thought of befriending the man that had helped her, nor the thought of another Ranger on the team.

By the time the Strike Rider had been revealed and the Zord battle had ended, all the Rinshi had been decimated at the Rangers' hands, Camille had been soundly defeated once again, Rantipede had been destroyed at the hands of the Jungle Pride Megazord, and Carter Sisko – battle-worn and sweaty, having fought Rinshi the entire time – looked on with a smile, keeping one hand on his ribs where a few Rinshi had gotten in some lucky strikes.

* * *

_(J.K.P. Loft, 0600 PM)_

"...and that's basically everything that happened between the dojo and my arrival." Carter finished explaining to R.J., who was leaning back in his chair while getting an explanation of who Carter was, and just _why_ he had shown up at and fought in the battle. Casey and Lily, in the meantime, were handling pizza prep and dish duty respectively, while their friend Fran was helping with serving. Theo was elsewhere in the restaurant; Carter had already been introduced briefly to all four of them.

"So you _chose_ to come through the portal?" RJ asked, "That seems kind of... bizarre to me, even accounting for the rest of your tale. If it were anyone else, they'd have stayed far away, I think."

"I doubt that – and as for why I did, it's actually rather simple, sir," Carter replied, conveniently ignoring RJ's interjection of 'call me RJ', "Lily was in serious trouble. The Rinshi and Rantipede had hit her hard enough to force her to demorph; she was surrounded, Casey and Theo weren't at her location yet... Lily needed backup, sir, and to the best of my knowledge I was the only one who could have supplied it before she was hurt – or before you were permanently down a Ranger. I doubt even you and your Wolf could have reached the beach in time; not from here."

RJ cringed at that.

"Okay, point taken," the Wolf Master replied, "But that still doesn't answer the question of 'why you?'"

"The area in my world that the portal showed up in... was a back alley next to my former place of employment," Carter admitted with a sigh, "A pizza-oriented, unorthodoxly themed restaurant much like your Jungle Karma – I worked there as one of the cooks, and had stopped at the building to pay my respects."

"Hold on – your _former_ place of employment?" RJ echoed, "Why former; what happened?"

"Unlike JKP," Carter explained, "Which from what I remember survives _years_ after Casey, Lily and Theo arrive – don't tell them that, by the way – the pizza place I worked at failed six months after my arrival; despite the fact it was a great place with great people working there, we got very little business because our boss picked a crap location. So he decided to shut down and move on as of about a week ago in my universe, right when everyone received their final pay checks. JKP actually reminds me of my old place of employment; the boss and my coworkers were all like you, Casey, Lily and even Fran in many ways. One co-worker was even like Theo – and despite how Theo's treating Casey and I, I still respect him."

"That's very mature, man," RJ smiled, "And those fighting skills of yours; where did you learn them? I've only seen moves like that from _Pai Zhaq_ Masters or the odd Ranger; your moves in specific seem similar to Tommy Oliver's."

"Toso Kune Do, courtesy of the Rising Sun Karate Academy," Carter grinned, "Along with training from my father, with some self-taught stuff thrown in for flavour. As for moves like the good Doctor's, it makes sense they're so similar – his actor counterpart in my universe is the owner/operator of Rising Sun Karate."

"Well, how would you like to learn some more moves?" RJ threw a grin at Carter in return, "We can see if you have an Animal Spirit and maybe train you alongside my students."

"Sounds good – could use some new moves and new sparring partners." Carter's lips twitched. RJ nodded.

"Speaking of sparring partners, you did very well against the Rinshi – they only scored two hits on you."

"Those sorry bastards are uglier in person than they _ever_ were in the show," Carter retorted wryly, rubbing the spot on his chest where he'd been struck by one of the Rinshi's lances, "But aside from the energy blasts they're no tougher than most of my Rising Sun sparring partners."

RJ whistled lowly.

"Must've been some heavy sparring you did back home."

"It was." Carter smiled, "Despite that, Rising Sun Karate doesn't let people go to green belt without making sure they're up for it – and I don't treat sparring like a hobby; for me, martial arts and cooking are areas of life where my limits are meant to be pushed, much to the chagrin of my teachers."

"Sounds like you'll be a real challenge, then." The Wolf Master's grin was feral at the mental image of fighting a strong opponent again.

"I don't know, man – I never trained with the Swoop Technique! With that alone you'll likely kick my butt!" Carter chuckled; RJ couldn't help but join in the laughter.

"That's very true – though you will learn it in time." The 'future' Wolf Ranger's expression suddenly turned serious – for RJ, anyway. "Okay, here's the plan – until we find a way to get you back home, you'll live here in the loft, and work at my humble restaurant with my students, myself and Fran; we've got a spare room you can use which I've had cleaned out for ages, and I might be able to round up some more clothes for you over the next few days. Two sets aren't nearly enough; I'm sure you know that as much as any of us."

"That's true," Carter murmured, "I've got what's on my back and the three sets of clothes in my gym bag, but those'll fall to pieces in no time... any chance you could stick to green shirts and loose-fit jeans? Green's one of my favourite colors – and I can't stand baggy jeans."

R.J. nodded.

"I got it covered. Anyway, since you've worked in a pizza place before, you'll be one of our main cooks – though you're not working a solo op in my kitchen, got it?" At Carter's nod, R.J. continued.

"This means that for now, during the rushes you'll have to stay here."

"I'm sure Fran will love the company." Carter grinned wryly.

"At least during your training, she'll have it." RJ replied, "When you're done training – and assuming we can't get you home by then – I'll talk to that connection of mine who made the others' Morphers; you might get one of your own. I hope you can work with Casey."

Carter's jaw slackened in shock at that prospect before he refocused.

"I can work with him, RJ; you have my word. On the subject of your Rangers, though, are Casey and Lily ok?" The dimension-hopping warrior asked, concerned for the dancing Cheetah student, "She looked pretty banged up when I started helping her out, and Casey... well, if I recall correctly he was hit with a poison sting yesterday."

"To the best of my knowledge, Lily's fine; Ranger powers come with a reasonable dose of accelerated healing, though I'm sure you know that. And Casey healed up this morning." RJ answered, "You're welcome to go check for yourself – they're both downstairs, though Lily's working dish duty."

"Let me guess," Carter mused, "Punishment for going off half-cocked like she did?"

RJ nodded. At that, Carter stood up.

"Better go keep her company, then." The teen smiled and headed for the stairs, "Punishments are all well and good, especially if there's a lesson to them; but believe me – solitude isn't. I speak from experience on that."

RJ smiled, nodding towards the stairs. As Carter headed down to the restaurant proper, the Wolf Master could only say one thing as he leaned back in his chair.

"Welcome aboard, dude... I've got a feeling we're not going to regret this."

* * *

_(JKP Kitchens, 0830 PM)_

"This is fun!" Lily laughed, splashing Casey with soapy water. Dodging an irate Theo as the Jaguar student headed upstairs, Carter couldn't help but grin at the antics of two of the Rangers who were slowly becoming his friends.

"Carter!" Casey choked out as he shielded his soap-drenched face with one arm, "Help me out here, man!"

"Sorry, Casey," Carter's grin widened, "You won't see me getting involved in this one."

"Besides," Lily added with a laugh, splashing Casey one last time before returning to the dishes, "It'd be like if Theo got involved in this – I couldn't fight him." At the boys' raised eyebrows the current dishwasher blushed fit to make a tomato jealous and hastily added, "Hey, Carter saved my life out there – I owe him one!"

"We'll call it even if you let me give you – both of you – a hand," Carter grinned, fighting back a blush of his own at Lily's praise, "And please, Lily, I beg you; don't go into the battlefield solo again like you did unless there's no other choice. We're all a team here, no matter what."

"All right, all right!" the dancer groaned good-naturedly, throwing soap suds at Carter, "I won't! Spare me, please – RJ lectured me for an _hour_ about that!"

"So that's why... never mind," Carter smiled faintly, wiping his face off, "No worries, Lily – I won't say anything more on the subject."

"In the meantime, what do you say we get back to work?" Casey asked, towelling off his own soap-soaked face and arms, "Good thing we're closed – Carter, I hate to ask, but can you clean up here? I was working server duty when we got back, and I've still got to-"

"Cash out, I know," Carter smiled, "I worked the whole culinary gig back home, Casey; I know the drill. Go – I've got this."

Throwing his new friend a grateful smile, the current Red Ranger exited the kitchen to take care of his branch of the closing duties while Carter snagged a cleaning rag and some paper towel to clean the soap suds around the dish-pit and his face respectively. Discarding the paper towel in a nearby garbage bin, Carter got to work, placing the dishes Lily cleaned in their proper locations. Later on, he looked towards Lily... whose blue eyes were focused on him instead of the little work she had left. Slowly raising one dark eyebrow, the newest cook at JKP looked to his sides, wondering if he was bleeding from somewhere after the fight. When he finally realized that Lily was looking at him for no other reason than curiosity, Carter's other eyebrow started heading towards his nonexistent hairline before he locked eyes with Lily and spoke in a low voice.

"Something you want to tell me, Lily?"

Blushing much darker then she had when talking with Casey earlier, Lily turned away from Carter, looking away from the dark chocolate eyes of her newest friend as she decided just how to phrase her thoughts. As the dimensionally displaced warrior smiled warmly at her and took a step towards the restaurant proper, Lily grabbed his hand.

"You're a good man, Carter – you're interesting. It'll be nice getting to know you."

"And it'll be an honour getting to know you, Lily." Carter smiled, "Casey, too; fighting at the side of you both will be awesome. I only barely knew the cheerleaders and sports fans among my allies back home – and none of them were martial artists."

"What about Theo?" Lily asked, "He's part of this team too, and a good friend of mine."

"He also hasn't made the best impression on me yet; he nearly ran me over in anger as I came down here from the loft." Carter's smile turned sheepish, "Give it time, Lily."

Jungle Karma Pizza's current dishwasher nodded as her fingers interlaced with Carter's for a moment.

"I know we've all only known you all of twelve hours," Lily murmured, "And I know you and Theo don't see eye-to-eye yet – heck, he and Casey don't either. But whatever happens between all of us, Carter, I hope you and I can be friends."

"Always, Lily," Carter smiled, "I promise you that you and I will always be friends – always together in heart."

Sharing a somewhat lengthy hug with his newest female friend before leaving her to the last of her dishes, Carter headed upstairs for bed after ensuring Casey required no help. After a profuse amount of thanks to R.J. for all his help, Carter headed to bed, with concerns of home dancing in his mind. Besides his martial arts teachers, no one in his home universe would be looking for him; Carter's parents had died a year prior just as he had begun his foray into culinary college; he wasn't too close to his grandparents or other relations, and none of his friends from his school days were in Santa Clarita.

_No use worrying on it now; that's not going to help._ Carter mused, stripping down to boxers, slipping on a pair of pyjama pants and easily entering a meditative trance.

_I'm here, in Ocean Bluff – and whether I like it or not, it looks like I'm here to stay for a while._

* * *

_(Spirit World, time unknown)_

"Fascinating," Mao smiled stiffly, "It appears that your plan worked, sir."

"I have asked you many times, Mao," a disembodied voice interjected, "no formalities. I have never been your master or leader; we are all equals."

"My apologies; force of habit," Mao replied, "I simply wished to inform you that your plan has worked; our young friend is now where he can do the most good."

Mao flipped a switch, revealing a room with many lit consoles and several groups of tubes on the walls; two of those groups held Ranger uniforms from several teams, both of those groups of tubes flanking a larger opaque tube. The opaque tube lit up, a large, disembodied, bald head appearing in it akin to a hologram.

"Well done, Mao," the voice spoke, coming from the head, "It appears Carter Sisko knows some of what to do. We can only hope he deciphers the rest."

* * *

A/N: With the muses dead or AWOL in the cases of my three latest projects, I've decided to delve into Power Rangers fanfiction again for the first time in years. With Jungle Fury and Dino Thunder being my two favourite seasons and with Stryker837 doing a Dino Thunder dimension-hopping fic, I've decided to start a similar fic of my own in Jungle Fury, thanks in part to inspiration from Stryker's works, pinkrangersforever's fic "Transported" (ID 4843628) and AnimeJunkieGrrl's own Jungle Fury saga. If any of you three read this, thanks for the inspiration – and to _all_ who read this, here's hoping you enjoyed this first chapter, despite my creative liberties, and continue to enjoy this fic.


	2. Teamwork, Trust, Temerity

Disclaimer: All relevant disclaimers are in the first chapter; those who care for such things can look there. Please do not sue; I'm in deep enough debt as is. The concept of Lily being siblings with other Yellow Rangers is from Lily Hanson's fic "Mother's Love" (FFN ID 4168750) – though I don't intend to utilize the somewhat adult backstory associated with the fic. The concept of Andrew Hartford designing the Jungle Fury morphers is from Knightwood's set of Jungle Fury fanfiction.

A/N: To those few reading this (and I say few due to the low reviews and hits) I'm treating the "Five Fingers of Poison" arc as if each episode from "Can't Win Them All" onwards spans two days each; dialogue from "Can't Win Them All" would appear to support this theory. I've also changed the font format for emphasis from italics to bold; italics will serve as thoughts. Thanks to GPhoenix51 and DarkPriestess66 for reviewing and/or bookmarking this fic.

* * *

_**Jungle Fury, New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 2: Training, Teamwork, Trust, Temerity**_

"_The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.__" – Bruce Lee_

"_A team isn't a bunch of punks out to win. A team is something you belong to, something you feel, something you have to earn.__" – Gordon Bombay, "The Mighty Ducks"_

_

* * *

_

_(JKP Loft, 0600 hours, one day after arrival)_

"_Great going, Lil; you wake up, come out to the loft for your morning meditation efforts and find... **this**."_ The cheetah student mused, biting back the urge to groan – or worse, blush. "_Where's Kira when you need her? Or Ronny, even – she'd love the view of Carter at least!"_

Carter and Casey, the traveler and the cub, were both sitting on RJ's yoga mat, deep in meditation of their own. Casey was wearing his Pai Zhua uniform, while Carter was wearing loose, navy-blue jeans and a rather tight, olive-drab sleeveless shirt, showing off the muscles in his arms and torso – muscles which, thanks to another late nightmare on her part and a chance encounter with Carter less than three hours ago, Lily knew had been developed over almost 17 years of nearly full-time training.

"His first day here from god-knows-where," Lily muttered sotto voice, fighting the desire to ogle her newest friend, "and Carter Sisko decides to meditate – which is awesome, of course... but couldn't he have put on a different, maybe _looser_ shirt; one with sleeves, perhaps?" _"I mean, I know I always told people that lots of water, sunblock and a smile help you look good, but... wow! The jocks in high school have __**nothing**__ on Carter!"_

"I heard that, Lily," Carter smirked, still sitting in a lotus stance with his eyes closed, "I'll have you know that for now this is my only shirt besides the one the Rinshi wrecked yesterday with those lances of theirs."

"It is; trust me, I helped him unpack." Casey interjected, "He's got this and one other set of clothes from home – unless you'd rather our new friend here wear his kitchen clothes or karate uniform everywhere."

"Touché, guys. Well, Carter – we'll have to hit the mall when we get some time, won't we?" Lily grinned broadly. Casey, finally slipping out of his meditation completely, rolled his eyes in amusement at his unofficial sister.

"Please, no shopping, not yet – RJ told me he'd help me out for now." Carter retorted with a small smile, slipping out of his own trance and starting a few basic stretches before moving into a set of push-ups.

"You really want everything in RJ's colors?" Casey smirked, "Trust me, Carter; you'll be better off going solo – or with Lily. At least then you'll get the colors you want."

"Much as I desire an afternoon with our lovely friend here – and trust me, Casey, I would **love** such a moment of R&R – I need some more shirts and jeans ASAP before my current ones start to reek of sweat and pizza; besides, I'm sure RJ will accommodate my choices. Lil, we can always go shopping later." Carter grinned at a pink-faced Lily before moving to start some sit-ups, "Besides... I believe... we've got... training soon?"

"Actually, Casey and I have training of our own; I'm going to help him with his Jungle Chucks, and then the three of us going to open JKP." Theo interjected coolly, entering the loft and motioning to himself and the other Rangers, "RJ's waiting downstairs for you, Carter – apparently he's taking you to get some clothes before training you himself."

"Sweet – good luck, guys!" Carter grinned, finishing his sit-ups before grabbing a jacket from 'his' room, spraying on some deodorizer and heading to the restaurant proper. Part of him wondered how the heck RJ – or anyone, really – could get clothes at 6 AM.

"_I guess I'm about to find out... wait, isn't today when Theo loses his confidence? Good grief... this is going to be a __**long**__ few days."_

* * *

_(Three days after arrival, 10 PM)_

Getting some loose jeans and green shirts that would last a week or two at a time hadn't been difficult; apparently RJ had connections when it came to finding comfortable, long-lasting civilian clothing for martial artists, and between those connections and the warm weather California was known for, Carter got all the green-trimmed shirts, loose-fit jeans and workout clothes he needed as well as a green variant of the Pai Zhua students' "Ranger" uniform. On the other hand, finding out that – among other things – Carter's SIN number, bank account, and name were in the Ranger universe's databases was a tad bizarre for both men; though it did help circumvent a lot of problems that would have otherwise cropped up.

When RJ told Carter upon their return to JKP that day that he'd found a two-section green Bull Morpher that morning sitting in the same cupboard as his (currently unused) Wolf Morpher, Carter couldn't help but gape – his meditation that morning had revealed he possessed a Bull spirit, much to his surprise and mild chagrin. At that point, RJ decided to alter one of his prior decisions; upon their return to the loft, he gave Carter the green morpher and decided to let the younger man help out in the field as he saw fit, given the circumstances.

_(Flashback, 0900 A.M.)_

"I didn't ask this morpher to be made, Carter; Andrew Hartford didn't design it, I checked. Someone else somehow put it there," RJ explained, handing the two sections to Carter, who strapped them to his wrists, "It's yours; it fits with what my Wolf spirit sensed last night. I could refuse to support you, but given what's happened already it'd be like putting you out on the street. Mao would probably put me in the Spirit World for that – which is nothing compared to what Lily would do."

"_Sensei always did tell me that I had a habit of being bull-headed and stubborn in battle, even after he or Kyoshi kick my ass, but this... good grief, this is ridiculous." _Carter mused. _"__**Wait a sec…!**__"_

"I appreciate that you're not putting me out over this, RJ, and I can understand your theory about Mao's reaction if you did, but... Lily?" Carter blinked, "She's known me all of three days, man, and besides which she's super **nice** – she wouldn't..." the dimensionally-displaced adult trailed off at the serene look RJ threw him.

"You two have good vibes together, man; much better vibes than Lily has with any of us, for some reason. I'm certain if you left – whether it's right now or at the end of the fight against Dai Shi – she'd never be the same again. Therefore, whether I like it or not, welcome to the team." At Carter's look of open disbelief, RJ grinned and headed to the restaurant.

"C'mon, dude – we've got a restaurant to open!" the Wolf Master barked.

_(End Flashback)_

"_To quote Tommy Oliver, this is weird – even by Ranger standards." _Carter sighed, _"I don't know what's more bizarre – RJ's claim that Lily likes me, Theo and his pity party – particularly after his stellar twirling pizza performance last night – the fact that Casey and Lily aren't even trying anymore to snap him out of it, or the fact that they and RJ accept the reality of _my_ situation. Thankfully, Gakko's kept quiet in the wake of the Rangers being (technically) down one of their team... It's funny, though. I mean, I thought Lily liked Casey... or did that 'little brother' comment of hers have more merit then I thought? Or was my first theory right and this is all in my head? Am I just __**losing my goddamn mind!?**__"_

With a groan of frustration, Carter opened his eyes, snapping out of his nightly meditation... and then held back a scream.

"**Lily!**" Carter cried, "Holy crap!" The currently unknown Jungle Fury Green Ranger fell backwards off his bed; amidst his shock at finding the current Yellow Ranger in his room, the green-belted martial artist heard badly supressed laughter from said Ranger, who was wearing pyjama pants and a white tank top.

"You should've... seen... your face!" Lily giggled before sitting on the edge of Carter's bed, blue eyes shining brightly with mirth.

"Yeah, I bet it was a nice look of pure surprise at seeing you in my room; it's not every day a beautiful dancer/cheerleader decides to drop in on me like this. Then again, I think I owe you for laughing so hard at the whole arm-lock incident with Theo this morning after I got back." Carter smirked, flipping over the bed and landing softly before sitting next to Lily, "You and Ada would've gotten along quite well; both of you would've probably pushed me hard and pranked me to no end."

"Ada?" Lily blinked, "Who's that?"

"A co-worker from my last job back home, in Santa Clarita," Carter smiled fondly; he failed to notice the flash of emotion in Lily's eyes, "She was a lot like you; cheery, stubborn, sweet... Ada was one of the few friends I had who stuck around for more than six months, and as a result was like a sister to me, as I was a brother to her."

"She was one of few you had in your life... who stuck around for more than six **months**_?_" Lily gaped, all jealousy gone in the blink of an eye, "More loss to those who ditched you, then; I mean, you're an awesome guy... but what happened to her? I mean, Ada's clearly important to you – it's written all over your face – but she didn't travel here with you."

"Ada and I worked together at my last job, Lily; it was a pizza parlour much like JKP. Unlike JKP, though, my old job got very little business, so after six months our boss closed up shop and sold the building," Carter answered, "Ada left L.A. after that to find her own path in life, complete with my blessing as her unofficial brother – I even revamped my will in that world so everything went to her, as by that point we only had each other; our parents were gone, and... well... anyway, I drowned myself in my work as a chef and martial artist after Ada left. The rest is history after that; three months passed, I found the portal that brought me to your battle against Rantipede..."

"And you saved my stubborn, protective tail from the Rinshi," Lily smiled faintly, "I still owe you for that."

"I told you, Lily, we're even. Besides, Ada taught me that friends don't keep score." Carter grinned.

"You've got that right," Lily threw a grin at Carter in return. "I still owe you, though."

"So any particular reason you came in here – besides to scare the color out of me?" Carter asked wryly, deciding to change the topic rather than debate long into the night.

"I heard RJ mention that you've got Ranger power now," Lily admitted sheepishly, "Wanted to talk to you about that."

"I do have Ranger power, Lily, yes; Green Ranger, Spirit of the Bull – and I can channel it; I'll show you later. But I go in only when necessary for now," Carter replied, bringing his wrists up to eye level and revealing his two-section morpher, "No matter how much I want to help you and the others in the field, Lil – and believe me when I say that I want to help more than anything in the universe – this isn't my fight; not yet. But that doesn't mean I won't help you guys at all; I'll be here at the restaurant for now, so Fran won't be going solo. You can talk to me about anything – and if you absolutely need me in battle sooner than I've planned, I'm just a call away."

"But why stay out of the fight in the first place?" Lily raised an eyebrow, "Another Ranger would help us greatly in the field – a Bull spirit would turn any of Dai Shi's current creeps into powder!"

"Two reasons, Lil: first, I want to surprise Dai Shi and his goons; if they all get used to fighting you three, then you'll be all the stronger – and when a stronger Rinshi beast comes forth they'll never expect the arrival of a fourth Ranger whose initials aren't RJ. Second, You, Casey and Theo need to get used to working as a team before the battlefield even becomes a factor for me," Carter smiled faintly, "You **are** the Chosen Three, after all; even without me or anyone else who comes along you and RJ would still win against Dai Shi eventually."

"We did it in the show, didn't we; held our own, just the three of us?" Lily asked, her face scrunching up in bemusement right after asking a question that would – normally – sound senseless.

"You know I can't answer that **quite **yet, Lily." Carter grinned, "Temporal Prime Directive – and yes, I made a Star Trek joke; feel free to laugh."

Lily broke out in giggles at the old joke and (somewhat) lame humour.

"But I will say that you three made an awesome team even at this point in the battle." Carter continued when Lily calmed down, "When you need the Bull on **your** side of the battlefield, believe me – you'll know. And when that time arrives, Buffalord will look like nothing compared to us."

"He's already nothing compared to what we're facing now, you know that." Lily retorted, "These Five Fingers of Poison..."

"Are tough opponents, I know," Carter sighed before ensnaring Lily in a gentle hug, "But you're all tough fighters as well, Lil – tougher than this wannabe team could ever be, and stronger than any of you could ever know at present. You held off Rantipede and a Rinshi battalion solo before I even showed up in this 'verse; in 'canon' you fought them completely, and the only reason I had to drop in here was because the Rinshi overpowered you with sheer numbers at first. Casey fought Mantor solo on his first day as Red Ranger and won **easily**. Theo will have his own moment of solo butt-kicking as well, but after that you three have to have a solid team dynamic."

"How can we do that," Lily growled into Carter's shoulder, "when Casey and Theo keep butting heads? I mean, Casey gets along with both of us just fine – though he did say I drive him crazy sometimes – but Theo can't seem to find common ground with **either** of you; he can't stand Casey for some reason, he's cold towards you, and he's only good around me because I've known Theo since starting at Pai Zhua!"

"Theo and Casey are arguing over you; very long story; I'm sure you'll figure it out as things progress," Carter added as Lily threw him a shocked look, "And Casey was probably just saying that 'Lily drives me crazy' stuff to start a conversation at the time; I'm sure he doesn't **really **think that. I know I don't. As for Theo and I, well... I worked with a stubborn, controlling jerk of a guy named Ryan at my last job; Theo's a lot like him. It took a while – months, honestly – but Ryan and I found common ground in a mutual love and respect for martial arts. I'm sure Theo will find some with Casey and me as well – even if it takes the mother of all sparring matches to cause that. I do intend to talk to him at some point, though; it should hopefully break the wedge between him and us."

"I hope it works out, then – and I hope you join us in battle soon, Carter," Lily murmured, "After seeing your fighting skills, when we met..."

"I know, Lil – I know." Carter smiled, pulling back – though his right arm was still around the Cheetah student's shoulders. "It was once said in an old movie from the 90s – the first Mighty Ducks movie, actually – that a team isn't a group of punks out to win. A team is something you belong to, something you feel; something you have to earn. You three have to earn your dynamic first before I even try and earn my own place as part of that team. If you do absolutely need me in battle, though, I'll be there faster than you can morph – and with that dance routine for a morph you guys have, I'd have to be going pretty slow."

"Hey, watch it – I **am** a dancer, as you well know, and I happen to like that dance." Lily grinned, punching Carter's broad shoulder; surprisingly, the muscular Toso Kune Do student didn't even flinch, "Besides, you know that not all morphs are simple."

"Point taken," Carter smirked, releasing Lily completely, "Now off to bed, Speedy, before RJ catches us here."

"**Way **too late, my partner in pizza prep," RJ spoke from near the door, causing Carter and Lily to jump, "FYI, young Cheetah, the **Jaguar** is supposed to be the stealthy one."

"Sorry, RJ... I just needed to talk to someone." Lily smiled sheepishly, "Casey and Theo were already asleep, and you were down in the office, so..."

"I understand, dudette; everyone needs a sounding wall now and then," RJ replied, "But our dimensionally-displaced friend here needs sleep as much as any of us."

"That and I've got to meditate – **again.**" Carter noted wryly, winking at Lily, "**Someone** messed up my mindscape by scaring the color outta me; she's really gotta stop doing that, it could cause no end of trouble." As Lily blushed, both men chuckled.

"Thanks for everything, Carter; you're one heck of a friend." Lily smiled, crushing Carter in a hug of her own.

"Anytime, Lil; I'm always here if you want to talk." Carter grinned, hugging her back before grimacing dramatically as she pulled away, "Good grief... sure you don't have the spirit of the Bear with a hug like that?"

Lily smiled at Carter and winked before leaving for her room; as RJ departed as well bearing his usual serene smile, Carter easily fell into a meditative trance, having finally found his own tranquility again.

"_Odd that every time I've found calm in this 'verse, Lily's been the one to supply it... ah, forget it. I'll deal with that issue later."_ Shrugging, Carter continued his mental training, falling asleep around midnight as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Six hours later, he woke on the dawn of a new day, cool as a cucumber.

* * *

_(Three days after arrival, 1200 hours)_

A couple days later, Carter had to bite back a groan of annoyance.

"_It's one thing watching this on TV – a whole other mess being part of it, though... damn it, Theo, after this I'm going to be annoyed something __**damn **__fierce if this all ends with Lily asking you out!"_ JKP's current cook mused.

At present, he was cooking pizzas on autopilot as Fran gave him the orders – with Lily and Casey in battle against Gakko and Camille, and RJ and Theo having gone off on a 'road trip' (in an effort to repair Theo's shattered confidence) moments before the current small rush hit, it was down to Carter and Fran to man the 'pizza parlour', as Lily called it. Thankfully, over the last few days Carter had been shown the ropes of JKP kitchen duty – and his prior culinary experience helped quite a bit too.

"Pizza parlour, Lily said. Bah!" Carter snarked with a grin as he double-checked the table for any missing ingredients, "The amount of pizzas I'm busting out right now, this is like working the Brewsters beat...!"

"Carter, we need a Thrilla Gorilla for Table 5!" Fran yelled through the open oven.

"Right away, Fran!" Carter replied, returning to his work. As he put together JKP's signature pizza, Carter smiled.

"_This is going to be fun, and so will fighting as a Ranger – though I'd better wait until this power really __**is**__ needed before going into battle, lest I deal with an angry Fran __**much**__ earlier than necessary."_

Unfortunately, his new (and currently unused) morpher went off just after he'd put the pizza in the oven; after informing Fran the Thrilla Gorilla was cooking and that he was going on a quick bathroom break, Carter stepped into the facilities in question and activated the communicator function just as Casey was yelling at RJ.

"You do not **need **Theo," RJ replied, "You may **want** him..."

"**Fine – we want him!**" Casey yelled.

"Sorry, not possible – Theo is... occupied at the moment." RJ serenely shot back before cutting his end of the link.

"Casey, you two will be fine – trust me!" Carter added as quietly and firmly as he could without mumbling, "Seven years ago, one Ranger – **one!** – fought against enemies much greater in strength and number then Gakko and the Rinshi; right now there's **two** of you out there; you are both **more than able** to handle this until Theo's back in action!"

"Well, when Theo gets here – **if** Theo gets here," Lily interjected, "He's going to have to fight me as well!"

"Hilarious as that mental image is, Lil – trust me, I'd be in stitches if this weren't the lunch rush – I can only say keep going, and keep your confidence; I promise you, **both** of you, you can do this!" Carter shot back wryly, "You two are too skilled, too strong, and too stubborn to be bested by the likes of Gakko, of all beasts. Like RJ said, fight on! And good luck!"

Shutting off the communicator and quickly washing his hands, Carter returned to the kitchen secure in his faith in Casey and Lily.

"_Here's hoping things go to canon,"_ Carter mused before returning to pizza assembly, throwing together a garlic pizza upon noticing the yellow order receipt left at 'his' workspace. _"If it does, it'll be a month or two, accounting for the possibility of random Rinshi attacks, before they'll need more power... I hope the whole Overlord mess doesn't shake things up as much as I remember. Hell, I hope the Overlords aren't as__** ugly**__ as I remember – and I've only got the costumes to go on."_

"Carter, we've got another order – Meat Feast to go!" Fran barked.

"I'm on it!" Carter grinned. Shelving the issue of his friends' team dynamic for the moment, the future Green Ranger made a meat lovers' pizza and placed it and the garlic pizza in the oven as fast and efficiently as he could. Fortunately, RJ came back in just as he shut the oven door.

"Looking good, my man!" the Wolf Master grinned; indeed, in his pristinely-pressed white chef's jacket with black buttons, green apron, dark blue jeans and black sous chef's hat, Carter looked like a true cook. Admittedly, RJ had to cringe at Carter wearing denim in the kitchen, but upon noticing the many small kitchen utensils attached to his belt, the Wolf Master had to applaud his new friend's ingenuity.

"Thanks, boss – how's Theo?" Carter smiled as he assembled pizza ingredients on the table in a formation allowing for (reasonably) quick access.

"Back in the game; he and the others should be finishing things up against Gakko right now." RJ replied, "Looks like you and Fran are handling the lunch rush just fine."

"Such as it is, anyway – back home my old boss and I had rushes like this almost every morning with his catering, and we had much fewer competent employees to help – yes, that does mean it usually came down to one or two guys." Carter smirked, starting on another meat lovers' pizza per Fran's orders, "Believe me, I for one am used to this – a little rusty, I admit; it has been three months, but I'm used to it."

"Up for some battlefield practice soon, then?" RJ asked, joining in the pizza assembly.

"Nah – not yet, RJ. You know as well as I do, that wannabe team isn't nearly a match for them." Carter smiled, loading the pizza into the oven.

"True that," RJ replied, "But when **will** you join in? I'm curious."

Carter sighed.

"The very **moment** something becomes too tough for them – as in their weapons can't do a damn thing to stop their foe – I'm going to help. No clue if it'll have any effect on the immediate battle, but if watching this gig for fifteen years has taught me anything, it's that one person can always make the difference in the war."

RJ smiled.

"Good man – I was... concerned, while Theo and I were out, that you'd jump in and help Casey and Lily once you heard they were in battle."

"Good grief." Carter groaned, rolling his eyes, "Look, RJ, I won't deny that they're special to me – Casey's like the brother I never had, and Lily... she's the first friend of the fairer gender in 16 years who hasn't – by her own will or her family's – ditched me the instant someone or something better's come along. But if you honestly believe I'd drop **everything** for either or both of them on a whim just because of this," the young adult tapped the sides of his wrists, "then you must think me as stupid as Eric Myers was in the beginning."

"Not **quite** that bad, no," RJ admitted sheepishly, recalling the stubborn jerk that the Quantum Ranger once was, "But it's obvious to all of us that if Lily were in near-death level trouble, you – and Casey to a lesser degree – would give your lives to save her. And we do face life or death every day."

"'Course Casey and I would do that, RJ – Lily's his unofficial sister, and pretty much my best friend. She's Theo's best friend too, so I hear; not that he's done much to prove that since I arrived." Carter replied gruffly, "I may have saved Lily's life a few days ago, but she returned the favour. She saved my **soul**, RJ – by being the first person outside my cold excuse of a home to give a damn about me in sixteen years."

"Cold excuse of...?" RJ trailed off in shock.

"Ever read the Harry Potter books; specifically the bits about the Dursleys at the beginning of Sorcerer's Stone?" Carter asked, continuing at RJ's nod, "My family never abused me like the books implied the Dursleys did to Harry. They never lay a finger on me, but believe me – from the day I turned five, for some reason the Sisko clan was **cold**."

"So the hug Lily gave you last night...?"

"It was the first hug I've received in **years** that I can remember." Carter sighed, "Boss, I will help her if the need arises, and I'm certain Casey will follow; hell, I'd be shocked if he didn't. But we both know the stakes, RJ, and I for one won't do anything that'll risk the planet. Not even for Lily – though I hope you know I certainly won't like it if that choice has to be made."

"That's all I wanted to know, dude," RJ smiled faintly, "The right thing is never easy. Now let's get back to the rush – we haven't got a lot of time left before it's over!"

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 0700 PM)_

"'Confidence is a state of mind.'" Carter quoted, smiling upon seeing Theo, "Welcome back, Theo."

"_Screw keeping the timeline intact; if this __**is **__in my head it's irrelevant, and if it's real... well, maybe I can make it better - and why go back 'home' anyway? It's been three days – yet I've already got more here than I ever did there." _Carter realized. _"Time to preempt Theo and Casey's argument; it should make things a little easier on Lily."_

"Thank you." Theo nodded, standing from his meditation and heading towards the stairs, only stopping once Carter placed an arm in his way.

"_First things first..."_ Carter mused.

"We've got to talk, man; you've been distant towards Casey and I, almost cold – I for one want to know why." Carter ground out.

"You mean it's not obvious?" Theo growled.

"I've considered every possibility since this began, Theo – and the only one I can think of that might apply here is so **childish**, so **petty**, that I have to wonder how you got through Pai Zhua while acting so immature." Carter shot back calmly, "You're jealous – of Casey, and of me."

"You try having two other guys monopolize all of your best friend's time!" Theo snarled.

"At least you **have** a best friend, Theo!" Carter retorted, moving towards RJ's yoga mat, "I'm 21 years old, man; I've graduated high school and an intensive culinary program back-to-back, both with highest honours – yet in that entire time before I came here only **one** person bothered to care about me in that way – **one! –** and even she left in the end."

"What are you saying?" Theo gaped at Carter's admission.

"I'm saying that Lily and her friendship are all I've got, Theo – besides, I don't go to her; she comes to me." Carter replied flatly, "As for Casey, I bet he's just trying to fit in like I am – are you going to deny us that? Alienate your best friend and your teammates over something as stupid as **jealousy**? You'll lose her for certain that way – and if that happens then we'll all lose against Dai Shi!"

"The way things are going, you make it sound like I'll lose her no matter what." Theo grumbled.

"Now that doesn't sound like the Theo I've seen in the last six hours," Carter smiled stiffly, "That sounds like you've given up – again."

"No!" Theo replied heatedly, "No, I haven't given up!"

"Then **prove it**, man!" Carter beseeched, "Do what's **right**, not what's easiest; trust us, but most importantly trust Lily! She won't entirely leave you – I don't need to know her well to know it's not her way!"

"But she and I were a team first." Theo objected weakly, "It's been that way for years – but now everything's different!"

"Theo, there's two rules of life you have to remember. First, change is constant – and second, if you don't adapt to that change then you're going to be just as alone as if you keep treating Casey and I like garbage." Carter retorted, "With or without us, you and Lily are a team all your own; you have a bond that will last forever, and that'll never change unless you two make it so. But if you keep treating Casey and I like the crap under your boots, then Dai Shi has already won."

"But..."

"'But' nothing, man – you're so much better than this!" Carter growled, "Don't let jealousy win you over – what happens between you two, or her and any of us, is up to her! Casey and I aren't trying to move in – we're trying to **fit** in!"

"Alright, Carter – stop... you win." Theo sighed, calming down, "You've made your point. I've got a question, though."

"Shoot."

"Why fight so hard to prove your point to me?"

"Like I said, I didn't have friends back home," Carter admitted, "Not good ones, anyway; most of their lives took different paths from mine after I turned five years old, and those who were still around after that left ten years ago. Only Ada was as close as Lily is becoming, though there were others. One of them was a guy named Ryan – he was a lot like you; an 'egocentric neat freak', I believe Casey called you once. Ryan was the same, and he had a stubborn streak just like Lily's. Clashed with me something fierce for a long time – it took a mutual love of martial arts for he and I to find any common ground, and that took **months**. I won't repeat that here; not in that much time, anyway, and in this case it cannot be afforded. If Dai Shi finds any discord in the ranks, he **will **exploit it; the bad guys always do, and your fight with him is hard enough as is."

"So you want me to be all buddy-buddy with you two?" Theo retorted.

"Not if you don't want to be, Theo," Carter replied, "Just work with us; that's all I ask. It'd be nice if we were friends, though."

"You've got it, then." Theo smiled faintly, "Just do me one favour."

"Shoot." Carter grinned.

"If Lily asks you out – and from the looks of things I'd say she probably will – then treat her well? She's important to me." Theo admitted.

"You have my word, Theo – I won't intentionally hurt her. Though I don't know why she'd ask **me** out, really; I'm no one special." Carter replied wryly.

"You mean you don't see it?" Theo blinked in shock, "Come on, man – the only reason I overreacted and let my jealousy take root was because Lily's been practically flirting with you from the day you dropped in! She was checking you out the other day before you went shopping, and it's only been more common since then!"

"Which means she finds me physically attractive, Theo – it's nothing new; girls checked me out all the time in high school." Carter replied wryly, "None of them were the equal of Lily, though – you know as well as I do, Theo, that she's beautiful in **all **the ways that matter."

"She is," Theo nodded.

"She deserves better than a muscle-bound chef whose only life is the thrill of the fight." Carter sighed.

"If you're talking about yourself, Carter," Theo replied, "then there's a lot more than that. From what you said just now, and what Lily's tried to tell me recently you're also a great friend, an incredibly disciplined fighter, one of the wisest men she's ever met who's even near our age, and a stubborn cuss of a human being who won't stop until his friends are a true team."

"There's also a lonely, brooding, temperamental jackass on the bad days." Carter grimaced.

"Who I'm sure Lily's willing to tolerate; she's the kindest person I've ever met! She could tolerate anybody as long as they're not like Dai Shi!" Theo shot back wryly.

"Okay, okay, point proven!" Carter groaned, "Seriously, though, why would she be interested in a guy like me?"

"Because you saved her life," Theo answered, "Because you show her friendship in ways even I never could; because you're the most interesting guy she's ever known. You may not notice, but you flirt with her as easily as she does with you; the rest of us can practically feel the tension between you both."

Carter smiled faintly.

"It's only been three days..." he murmured, "Yet it feels like..."

"Like you've known her for years, even without the show?" Theo grinned, "It's a good sign, Carter – at least I think it is." Suddenly the Jaguar student's face screwed up in bemusement.

"What is it?" Carter asked. Theo laughed lightly.

"Were we **really** a TV show in your world?" he asked. Carter nodded. "And did I really treat Casey like garbage for the first while in that show?"

"And some of the end, yes; you know that Jarrod is Dai Shi's vessel, right?" Carter replied, continuing at Theo's nod, "Well, near the end Casey found out some important information regarding that, and discussed it with you, Lily and RJ – no, I'm not telling you what the information was. Anyway, you three all dismissed it out of hand – citing that Jarrod was gone and had always hurt people anyway, so why bother?"

"You're kidding me?" Theo groaned, "Geez... must have been disheartening to watch."

"What was disheartening was that none of you apologized for the slight, at least on film," Carter retorted wryly, "Even after Casey was proven **right** in his theory; none of you apologized. Pissed me off, it did."

"Well, we won't be making that error here," Theo smiled, "Last I checked Rangers were a bit more open-minded than that. By the way – when are you joining us in the field?" he added, noticing the green-trimmed morpher on Carter's wrist.

"Give it a few days, Theo – when you guys need me, you'll know." Carter smiled faintly, "I'm a bit surprised, though – in the course of a day only Casey hasn't asked when I'm going to join the fold."

"Probably because Lily got to him and told him to be patient," Theo snickered.

"She is a bit of a force like that, isn't she?" Carter grinned, "C'mon, T – I don't know about you, but after the last few days I'm **craving **a good pizza."

"Sure it's not because a certain Cheetah's down there?" Theo smirked. Carter shot the shorter martial artist a withering glare before heading downstairs. Theo followed at a sedate pace, feeling oddly content – his crush on Lily had been nipped in the bud, and his jealousy towards Carter and Casey was mostly gone as a result.

"_Now how to set up Carter and Lily...? Perhaps I should enlist the help of a Tiger or two." _Theo mused, _"I mean, if Casey really does consider her an unofficial sister, I'm sure he'd be willing to help. That or he'd kill Carter..."_

Neither of the young men saw RJ smile as they passed his office. Exiting the office a few minutes later, the Wolf Master's smile broadened as he saw Casey and Theo shaking hands in the kitchen. Looking closer, he saw Lily and Carter grinning from just outside the kitchen door as they finished closing the restaurant proper.

"_The pack is truly in balance now... and all it took was an unexpected guest."_


	3. Charge of the Bull, Way of the Master

All relevant disclaimers and notes thus far are in the last two chapters... or should be, anyway. To reiterate, anything you recognize belongs to Disney, anything you don't recognize likely belongs to me.

This chapter, Jungle Fury Green Ranger makes an appearance, along with a cameo from some extra equipment – and what timing they'll have. Any similarities between Jungle Fury Green Ranger and his gear, and prior Rangers or weapons in canon are (though intended) purely coincidental. Furthermore, this is the part where canon takes a backseat at some points... hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

_**Jungle Fury, New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 3: Charge of the Bull, Way of the Master, Heart of the Warrior**_

"_You want to destroy Mariner Bay? You'll have to go through us to do it!" – Carter Grayson, "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue"_

"_Master Phant is going to teach me how to use that Jungle Mace!" – Lily Chilman, "Power Rangers Jungle Fury"_

"_Two of the strongest powers on earth are the human heart and the human soul." – Titanium Gold_

* * *

_(JKP, 0800 AM, Saturday May 10__th__ 2008, two months after arrival)_

Carter couldn't help but smile as he got up that morning and slipped easily into a meditative trance; it'd been two months since his arrival in the Ranger-verse (and subsequently at Jungle Karma Pizza), and despite the shock of finding his own Ranger powers and the mild annoyance that came with the revelation his animal spirit was the **Bull**, of all creatures, there were a series of things that made all the shock and annoyance worthwhile. Getting to practice his full range of culinary skills after three months of no work had been awesome; sparring with the Rangers – an experience they'd only let him go through twice so far – had taught him no end of new tricks in battle; watching their fights with stray Rinshi and the last of the Five Fingers of Poison was amazing, and befriending the Chosen Three made Carter (who could have been called a recluse at his 'home') happy outside the kitchen or the battlefield for the first time in years.

The only near-disaster had been a dominant chunk of the two-and-a-half days Casey was in charge of JKP; Fran had left the roster temporarily due to a terrible showing of leadership on Casey's part, Carter himself had been working on a project in his spare time and was thus unable to help as much as he would have liked, and things had just been generally chaotic – until Casey took back his responsibilities and rehired Fran. Even with that tiny disaster, the Ranger fan-boy in Carter's soul was bouncing off the walls at what had happened recently, while the lonely warrior chef that was the dominant part of the young adult felt as if he had finally found a home – and that fact alone was a balm for his soul. Finishing off the shower he'd taken while musing on his first week at his new home, Carter entered the loft clad in a new pair of jeans and a sleeveless green t-shirt – only to run into Lily.

"Good morning, Carter!" Lily bounced into the loft with a grin on her face, wearing her 'Ranger' uniform, "Sleep well?"

"Better than I ever did back home; thanks," Carter smiled wryly; Lily's enthusiasm was apparently contagious, "How about you?"

"No bad dreams," Lily replied, "I don't know... it was like talking with you over the last couple months just eliminated all my fears. Well, **most** of them – I'm still terrified of spiders."

"It went both ways, I think," Carter grinned, "Bull spirit's been calm ever since then too, except in matters of loneliness. Where's everyone else?"

"Casey and Theo are down at the restaurant, tackling the prep work," RJ smiled as he entered the loft, "You two up for training? And yes, I do think you're ready for this, Carter." He added, noting the Bull student's gobsmacked expression.

"You only let me train with the others twice, RJ – and the last time was earlier this week!" Carter gaped, "What's changed?"

"You've found your spirit, Carter," RJ replied, "More importantly, you can summon it to attack – the only other student I know who's worked as fast as you've done is Casey."

"True – though we've both got good motivation," Carter shot back, smiling in relief as he stepped onto RJ's yoga mat and slipped into a relaxed guard, "Care to try your hand first, boss?"

"Ah, no – I've got a pizza parlour to run; fighting evil is your job." RJ grinned; Lily rolled her eyes in amusement as she realized RJ was quoting **word for word** what he'd told the Rangers before their first battle.

"I think a certain speedster would like a shot, though." RJ added.

Lily smirked; Carter groaned.

"You two are evil; putting me in a sparring match with my best friend on my first solo run? Good grief."

"You're not going to go easy on me, are you?" Lily grinned, settling into her own stance.

"**Heck **no – I've got loads more respect for you than **that**." Carter snarked as he moved about the mat, "See Lily, I'm just worried you'll put **me** in the hospital with those Cheetah Jabs of yours – Rantipede's probably still feeling the pain!"

"Oh, be quiet," Lily playfully retorted.

"Hit me with your best shot, Lil, if you want me to shut up," Carter shot back with a grin. So she did – practically flying at the broad-shouldered fighter, Lily lay into him with several jabs and kicks...

...or tried to, anyway. Whatever kicks Carter didn't dodge (most of them), counter (two of them) or spin Lily away with just didn't visibly affect him, and Lily's jabs were all blocked.

"What the hell?" Lily grunted as she soon ended up in a rudimentary grapple with Carter; her arms versus his. Surprisingly for her, she was losing; only able to stand through sheer will, the Cheetah student eventually couldn't move Carter's hands even a millimeter; a glance at his forearm muscles showed he wasn't exerting more then a little effort, "I thought you had a **Bull **spirit, not the Spirit of the Brick Wall!"

"Nope; 100 percent Bull here. But ya gotta be strong **and** fast in this gig, Lily," Carter grinned; Lily was close enough to see his perfectly white teeth and smell the mint from the toothpaste he'd used ten minutes prior, while Carter had to fight the urge to drown in the liquid fire of his friend's baby blue eyes and the banana scent of her shampoo. "Yield yet?"

"For now," Lily smirked, "We'll have to go again later; you're almost as bad as RJ!"

"You're kidding me, Lil! I don't care if I'm like Arnold bloody Schwarzenegger at his physical peak; RJ could tear me to pieces!" Carter grinned at his best friend.

"Not exactly," RJ smiled from over at his workshop, "Lily and Theo are at the level of a Guardian, and Casey's catching up rapidly; Carter, you're... somewhere between that and a Master, I think. You'd probably give me quite a challenge."

"Well, my sensei as well as the head teacher – the Kyoshi – at Rising Sun both said they'd never seen someone advance so fast; I only started officially training in Toso Kune Do my junior year of high school," Carter admitted sheepishly, "I'd just gotten my green belt when my former workplace closed down, and the day I found the portal Kyoshi said he'd never seen someone so close to attaining a level one brown belt – he was perfectly willing to let me skip the tan belt altogether for some reason; I never found out why."

"Probably because you've got enough skill and strength for it," Lily groused playfully, shaking out her hands.

"Hey, I've been at this gig for seventeen years; been weightlifting a lot of that time too. Kind of an unfair advantage in hindsight," Carter smiled wryly, "You'll beat me eventually, Lily; you're too stubborn not to."

"For now, though, you'd better get moving; there's something on the monitors, but it's rolling around too fast to accurately track." RJ interjected, "Casey and Theo are already out there."

"Hmm... I know what this guy is – but I'll stay back for now," Carter replied as Lily threw a look of curiosity his way, "You three track him down; I'll join you when you've found him. If Camille doesn't interfere you'll have a whole new level of firepower at your side."

Lily nodded and, after grabbing a vine, practically flew through one of the exit hatches leading out of the loft.

"So who **is** this guy?" RJ asked.

"The Pangolin," Carter growled, "A physical cross between a golem and a porcupine... or something to that effect, anyway... his armour is almost impossible to break through – but then again, you know all this, I'm sure; you told the Rangers in the show."

"Indeed," RJ replied bemusedly, "So why aren't you with them? The Spirit of the Bull would do **something** to him, right?"

"It'd make a dent, yeah, but that does no good unless they actually find Pangolin... ah, there they are!" Carter smirked as he saw Lily and the others in what appeared to be a construction site, evading what looked like a giant ball of stone, "RJ, did you synch up the other Strike Riders we made to the Grid?"

"As best I could," RJ grinned, "You really think they'll help?"

"Eventually, yes," Carter replied, "but for now all I need's a quick way there; my bike's with the Strike Riders, so it's that way!" Grabbing a vine, Carter swung through an exit hatch.

* * *

_(Downtown Ocean Bluff, 11 AM)_

"He wasn't kidding about tough!" Casey grimaced under his helmet.

"Our weapons didn't even scratch him!" Lily cried.

"That's because nothing can get through my armour!" Pangolin roared. Suddenly the group turned as they heard the roar of a motorcycle.

"Want to bet!?" Carter yelled, stopping the motorcycle and throwing a smirk at Pangolin as he stepped off, "How about you give **me** a shot!?"

"You want to fight me, boy?" Pangolin growled, "You don't even have a weapon, yet you expect to defeat **me**?"

"Don't sound so shocked," Carter grinned ferally, "I might surprise you."

"What the heck are you **doing**, Carter!?" Lily cried.

"I told you I'd be here to help when you face an enemy you can't even scratch – well, your weapons can't make a dent, so we'll see how this beast likes mine. If he supersizes, form the Megazord; I'll help you out there too." Carter winked at Lily before turning back to a seething Pangolin and settling into his signature battle stance.

"Give me your best shot!" Pangolin snarled.

"You want it, you've got it!" Carter roared; sprinting towards the Rinshi Beast, the martial artist's morpher began shining a bright green on his wrists. Crossing his wrists to connect the two sections, the dimensionally displaced fighter yelled, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

And just like that, the Rangers' universe was permanently altered. As Carter's morph completed he ended up wearing an olive green, more armoured variant of the long-dead Magna Defender's armour (even the **cape** was tinted with green, while the gems were recolored orange and the chest gem had the Pai Zhua emblem shining black within it), Carter Sisko fought Pangolin one-on-one, hand-to-hand, ignoring the weapon holstered at his side in favour of using his fists and forearms – and much to Pangolin's surprise, the newest Ranger was **winning** at first.

"How… how are you as strong as I am!?" Pangolin growled while in a similar grapple with Carter as Lily had been earlier that morning. Unlike Lily, the Rinshi beast held his own in that aspect of the fight and managed to remain standing with minimal effort; however, just as Lily failed to do so before Pangolin could not overpower Carter using this method.

"I've got the Spirit of the Bull – **that's** how!" Carter grinned under his helmet before kicking Pangolin back a few inches and finally revealing his weapon; a shotgun-like blaster that had sat at his hip the entire time, "Bull Blaster!"

"That's not going to work, Carter!" Casey objected, "We already tried our weapons!"

"Nunchuku, tonfa and a staff, Casey; all due respect to your gear, there were no blasters or blades." Carter replied, cocking the blaster, "Let's see just what this weapon can do!"

30 seconds after a brief and brutal brawl, Carter was on his back at his teammates' side, his suit's chest armour slightly scorched due to the fact his blaster's shots had been reflected by Pangolin's armour; Pangolin himself, however, had several scratches on his own armour due to the Bull Blade, a Jian-like sabre mode the Bull Blaster could transform into. Unlike traditional Jian, however, which had short 'wings' serving as the hilt, Carter's Bull Blade had a long horn-like hilt similar to Magna Defender's original sword. (1)

As he stood up, Camille appeared.

"What are you doing!?" she screeched as the Rangers stood with their newest teammate, "Never mind these brats – you're here to clear out the city!"

"I'm all over it!" The hedgehog-like creature roared, suddenly growing giant-sized.

"Animal Spirits – unite!" Casey, Lily and Theo barked, instantly disappearing into the Jungle Pride Megazord. Carter, meanwhile, had to contend with Camille as Flit commented on the Zord battle.

"Oh, for the love of...! What's your beef, anyway!?" Carter groused, parrying Camille's twin Sais with the Bull Blade as best he could. _"You've got to be kidding – I need to summon the Bull in order to help the others!"_ Unfortunately, he couldn't even take a moment to catch his breath; his opponent was so ruthless in her attacks.

"I serve the Dai Shi – all who oppose him must be destroyed!" Camille hissed, "Especially wannabe heroes who won't keep their noses out of others' business – you're not Pai Zhua, never mind a Power Ranger!"

"What else is new?" Carter shot back as he parried Camille's attacks with increasing ease, "All you second-string villains are the same – squash your opponents like bugs!"

"It's worked so far!" Camille retorted with increasing rage.

"Ten millennia ago, maybe, Camille – but it won't work now!" Carter barked, kicking one dagger away and blocking the other as he kicked Camille in the stomach to give himself some breathing room, "Pai Zhua or no Pai Zhua, Rangers or no Rangers, the fact is humanity is stronger than your Dai Shi could **ever** realize – in fifteen years of heroes being present on this Earth we have never gone down without a fight; and we never will!"

"Maybe not, but your little friends aren't winning **this** fight, nor are you!" Camille shot back, smirking darkly as Pangolin overwhelmed the Jungle Pride Megazord. Cursing as he saw the Megazord disappear in the wake of Pangolin's Rolling Attack – a sign that his friends' animal spirits had been defeated in battle – Carter was distracted enough that Camille got a single strike through his guard, slashing him in the chest right over the Pai Zhua symbol and sending him reeling backward.

"So much for the power of humanity – go back to your little hole in the ground, Carter Sisko; this is a place for real warriors! You don't belong here!" the chameleon warrior barked, stepping back and vanishing after retrieving Flit.

"Damn!" Carter roared, standing and sheathing his blade before raising his morpher, "Casey, you there?"

"Yeah... but he got away!" Casey groaned.

"I saw, man; we'll get him next time – can you make it back to base?" Carter asked.

"We'll be fine," Casey replied, "Meet us there – and Carter?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome to the team." Casey smiled; Carter could **hear** the smile over the communicator, and didn't resist the grin that spread over his features. Unlike RJ's hesitant welcome two months prior, Casey's was all heart.

"Thanks, man – see ya back at home." Carter shut off the com-link, before de-morphing and heading to his motorcycle. Smiling as he noticed the green-and-white armoured trim on the otherwise black handles, the newest member of the Jungle Fury team headed back to JKP.

Unfortunately, what Camille told him failed to leave his mind... did Carter Sisko really have a place in Ocean Bluff?

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 1130 A.M.)_

"Talk to me, team," RJ ordered.

"So then this giant anteater...!" Lily began.

"Hedgehog," Casey interjected.

"I thought it was an artichoke with legs," Theo countered.

"It was a Pangolin," Carter groaned, stretching the muscles in his neck.

"Pango-what?" Theo asked.

"A Pangolin," RJ replied, "The name means 'something that rolls up.' It's got plate-like armour that's almost impossible to break through."

"We found that out the hard way; none of our weapons worked – except for Carter's sword." Lily smiled at Carter, who grinned faintly in return.

"Yeah, it left a dent, but that's not enough; we need something that'll actually **hurt** this beast. The Bull Blade won't do more than superficial damage against armour that tough unless someone holds him down for five minutes – and I don't think any of us are **that** strong. The Blaster's shots just bounced off." Carter replied.

"So we're no better off than before?" Theo grimaced.

"Listen and learn young cubs – I said his armour was **almost **impossible to break through." RJ retorted calmly.

"So there's something that might work?" Theo asked, "Better than the Bull Blade?"

"There's a legend in the Order of the Claw about a long-retired Master, who had a weapon that could shatter the strongest steel." RJ explained, "His name was Master Phant."

"Awesome! So we just call this Master Phant dude and ask him if we can borrow his weapon; done deal!" Casey grinned.

"Deal not done," RJ grimaced, "When Master Phant retired, he moved to a remote area of the forests beyond Ocean Bluff, to live a life of solitude – no one's heard from him in years."

"Crap," Carter groaned, "Don't suppose you know why he dropped off the grid?"

"There's a rumour that Mao's predecessor at the Temple forced Phant into retirement after a great battle many years ago (2), but no one knows anything for certain," RJ replied sheepishly, "What is certain is that he's lost all contact with the Order of the Claw."

"Well, the Order of the Claw is about to contact **him.**" Lily replied.

"Hiking trip?" Carter grinned at the stubborn Cheetah student.

"How'd you know?" Lily asked wryly, "RJ, we're going to find Master Phant."

"Fran and I will keep things together here, then," RJ smiled, "Good luck."

The four Rangers then spent the next hour packing a massive backpack each, before they headed to the forests east of Ocean Bluff. Carter had changed into his 'Ranger' uniform, in an effort to make a good impression with the retired Elephant master despite only recently – and unofficially, at that – being indoctrinated into the Pai Zhua ranks.

Unfortunately, as Carter would later find out, it wouldn't do any good.

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff Forest, 2 PM)_

Later on, the Rangers felt rather disheartened; having hiked through the forests behind Ocean Bluff, they fought a mysterious individual in a cape and hood – only Lily and Carter managed to stay standing for more than a few seconds at a time. Shortly after, the four found Master Phant's home – a large shack that had clearly seen better days – and had been coldly shot down in their requests for help despite finding out that Master Phant was the one they'd fought earlier. Carter had to hold back a grimace; it was all going just the same as in the show.

"Are you coming, Lil?" Theo asked; the Rangers had just received a signal that Pangolin was back in town.

"No," Lily replied, "Master Phant is going to teach me how to use that Jungle Mace!" she added heatedly.

"Stubborn girl; I said **no!**" Phant roared.

"And I say I'm not leaving until you do!" Lily retorted.

Phant wordlessly headed back inside his shack as Lily told her friends to call if they needed her. Casey and Theo sprinted off; Carter, on the other hand, headed towards where Lily was sitting in her perpetually weak efforts at meditation.

"Carter? I said to go with Casey and Theo." Lily opened her eyes, glancing up at her partner-in-combat; Carter had packed away the jacket of his uniform, rendering the sleeveless green tee underneath visible to the world. Glancing to their left, Lily found Carter's olive-drab backpack sitting next to hers.

"Nah, Lil – they can handle themselves. They did it before," Carter smiled, "Besides, the Elephant technique of Kung Fu and my Bull technique of Toso Kune Do both have a lot in common; it'll be nice to learn a few extra moves in the company of my best friend."

"Best friend, Carter – really?" Lily asked playfully, looking around, "I don't see any dark-haired beauties named Ada."

"No, and no fair-haired loves named Shantelle, either – only a fair-haired goddess named Lily," Carter deadpanned, "Lil, you've been a great deal of the reason I stuck around – and you know why I came here. You're as much of a best friend as Ada ever was."

Lily blushed.

"I'd say the same about you, but... well, Theo..."

"Has been around longer, I know," Carter replied with a sigh, "I'd never try to replace that – you two have a bond of friendship that will last forever."

"And so do you and me, Carter." Lily retorted, "It's just... different, between you and me than between me and any of the other guys."

"Good different or bad?" Carter grinned.

"Good different, Carter – **very** good different, believe me," Lily smiled, "So why else did you stick around here – besides the company and the chance to learn new moves?"

"Well, neither Theo nor Casey stuck with you in canon," Carter smiled as Lily's lips twitched at the odd joke, "and while I applaud their dedication to being Rangers, I was gnashing my teeth at the fact they left you alone. I mean, you seemed pretty nervous back in the forest."

"Of course I was nervous," Lily retorted, "I swear I saw spiders at least six times!"

"Lot of alliteration there," Carter snarked, "Of course you saw spiders; it's a goddamn forest, Lil. I'm just saying after that, leaving you alone is just not a proper move; Grandpa Frank, bless his soul, would haunt me forever if he knew I did **that.**"

"Nice to know there are still gentlemen out there," Lily giggled, "Thanks, Carter."

"Anytime," Carter grinned, "So tell me – was what I heard back home true?"

"That depends on what you heard," Lily replied, "Good news or bad?"

"More like... interesting," Carter murmured, "Heard you were the cheerleading captain at your old high school."

"I was," Lily admitted, "Brought home gold my senior year."

"I bet your family was thrilled," Carter smiled.

"My sisters were, yeah," Lily laughed, "Mom was grateful that I didn't break a limb, while dad was happy with **how** I won; combined my dancing moves with my cheerleading skills. Kira loved that; her friend Tori was amazed at my agility. Ronny was just amazed I could move so fast."

"Sounds like how I won the last martial arts tournament Kyoshi Frank signed me up for," Carter replied with a grin, "Combined what I knew of Toso Kune Do with the little training my father gave me in Jeet Kune Do. Dad was still alive to see that tournament; he loved that tactic."

"Jeet Kune Do, you said?" Lily blinked.

"Yup," Carter smirked, "Way of the Intercepting Fist, created by Bruce Lee when my father was around my age. Toso Kune Do's a spinoff of that; Way of the Fighting Fist, created by Jason David Frank. You'd actually like Jeet Kune Do a lot, Lil; it shares a lot of fundamentals with your fighting style."

"I know it exists – Bruce Lee was around 30 years ago in this universe too – but I didn't know that much about his style... you'll have to show me sometime," Lily smiled.

"And you owe me a shopping trip, as I recall," Carter grinned, throwing an arm over his best friend's shoulders; even two months after she'd suggested it, Lily and Carter hadn't had the time to go shopping for more clothes, "How about, once we get the Jungle Mace and crush Pangolin into dust – and we will – we make it a date of sorts? Shouldn't take more than an hour or two to learn the basics of the Mace... We go shopping for whatever we need, I teach you some Jeet Kune Do, and we get some food when it's all over?"

"Sounds good," Lily replied, "It'll be the second Monday of the month by then, accounting for our Sunday rush at JKP; we could make it a tradition, like Theo and I do with the second Tuesday of the month."

"It's a date," Carter chuckled, "All we need now's for you and Casey to establish something on the second Wednesday of the month, and the team's set."

"How about we fix the garden before dealing with all that?" Lily asked wryly, "It should make a nice present for Master Phant."

"Assuming he wants such a gift," Carter smiled self-consciously, "I suck at gardening; assuming it hasn't already decomposed, I think the backyard at my family home's **still** reeling from my efforts at landscaping."

"Well, you can at least keep me company while I plant some seeds," Lily giggled, "I thought that's why you stuck around. Besides, no one's perfect at **everything**, Carter – not even you."

"True," Carter grinned sheepishly, "Bet it's nice to know I'm still human, huh?"

"You have no idea, C." Lily smirked, "Pass me that spade?"

"Hey! What're you doing in my yard!?" Phant asked.

"We're trying to cheer this place up a bit," Lily smiled as she smoothed out the dirt in front of her.

"I don't want cheery – I hate cheery!" Phant retorted venomously.

"Man, were you this cantankerous as a Pai Zhua Master?" Carter asked wryly, sipping from his water bottle before dumping the rest of the water on a row of flowers, "Because if you were... hoo boy – I'm glad you weren't **our **teacher."

"The both of you would've been lucky to have been my students!" Phant shot back, "I was one of the greatest of all the Masters!"

"Then prove it!" Lily beseeched, "Teach us how to use the Jungle Mace!"

"Those days are long over!" Phant spat, "When I was a Pai Zhua Master, there was purpose to my life! Then they put me out to pasture – what have I got to live for now!? Not a damn thing!"

"Not true, man!" Carter retorted, "That great Master's still inside you somewhere – we wouldn't be here if we didn't know that!"

"Don't bother with the flowers; they'll only die." Phant rumbled before heading back inside. Lily turned away, clearly upset; Carter gently placed a hand on her shoulder... until he remembered what was about to happen and stood in front of her instead.

"Carter, what...?" Lily blinked in confusion; an expression which turned to horror as one of her best friends was suddenly hit directly in the shoulder blades by a series of energy blasts, sending him falling to his knees right in front of her. "**CARTER!!**"

"Hold the line, Lily!" Carter snarled, blocking two lances without looking, and lashing out behind him with a foot despite obviously being in great pain, "Fight them off – I'll be all right!"

And so she did; eventually, though, just as in canon, it got to the point where the Rinshi threw her around like a pinball.

"Carter... oof...! A little help would be nice!" Lily gasped as she was kicked in the back.

"Call to the Beast Inside – Summon the Bull!" Carter roared, thrusting his arms out like horns as a fairly decent-sized green holo-form of the Torozord appeared from his body, trampling the Rinshi to Lily's right before vanishing. As Lily rolled away from the Rinshi and stood up, she eventually ended up side-to-side with Carter as even more Rinshi arrived.

"Bloody hell..." Carter groaned as he and Lily continued their battle. Even with Carter's extra muscle, though, the Ranger duo – having no further chances to catch their breath and morph – were being horribly overwhelmed. The duo had just been sent flying onto their backs... and then a green elephant spirit trumpeted onto the scene, trampling the Rinshi.

"Was that...?" Lily gasped from her prone position next to the garden.

"I'd say it was..." Carter groaned from next to her.

"Get away from my students!" Phant roared. Sprinting onto the battlefield, the Elephant Master fought off the Rinshi with precision and a surprising amount of grace, and after he got them to a sufficient distance he blasted them away with a wave of green energy from the Jungle Mace.

"He's still got it..." Carter grinned stiffly as he stood up, the Rinshi vanishing in a haze of purple energy.

"We don't have much time, you two!" Phant barked calmly, "Still up for a little training?"

"What happened to being a useless old man?" Lily smiled as Carter helped her up.

"This old man still has a few tricks left," Phant replied, eyes shining.

"I thought it was too dangerous to try – that the Pai Zhua forced you into retirement?" Carter asked rhetorically.

"Better to fail in effort than to never try at all – retired or not," Phant smiled at the stubborn couple in front of him.

"Then teach us, sir," Carter requested.

"We need those tricks to stop Dai Shi." Lily added.

* * *

"All right, let's do it one more time – swing... and throw!"

Following those orders, Lily and Carter finally took out the last of two stacks of hay they were using as target practice. The old Elephant Master smiled at his two students as they pulled their weapons in, beaming with pride.

"We got it!" Carter grinned, exchanging a hi-five with Lily.

"And not a moment too soon," Phant nodded, "Both of you go and stop Dai Shi – you have the spirit of the Elephant protecting you now, though only one of you can summon it. You're both welcome to the weapon, though; Carter, your Bull technique should see a welcome improvement given that we share tactics and color. It's nice to see that even in other universes, the martial arts live on." Carter's jaw went slack; Phant smirked. "I heard your talk with Lily earlier; it's been an honour to train you both."

"Thank you, sir!" Carter grinned, running after Lily who had already taken off. _"Speed of the Cheetah indeed…"_ "Slow down, Speedy – you're faster than I am!"

* * *

"Lily! Carter!" Casey gaped.

"They're back!" Theo gasped.

"**YOU!" **Camille snarled.

"Yeah, Camille – us; we're back to kick your slimy tail again!" Carter grinned, gripping the handle of his Jungle Mace as it held Camille's left arm.

"It wouldn't be a party without us!" Lily laughed, her mace holding Camille's right arm.

As the Yellow and Green Rangers entered the battlefield, maces binding Camille in a firm lock, Casey couldn't help but gape under his helmet – his unofficial siblings seemed to have built on their already strong dynamic; as Camille broke free and suddenly began dodging **two **maces, her opponents moved with minimum communication, almost as if they were dancing. Watching as Carter later exchanged his mace for the Bull Blade and stood in wait while Lily continued thrashing Camille with her own Jungle Mace, Casey and Theo looked at each other with smiles of equal pride. Whether Lily realized it or not, she had found her soul mate, and the other two parts of the triad of guardians couldn't be happier.

Suddenly, Theo saw Camille attack Lily while she had her hands full, and with surprising speed blocked the chameleon's strikes with his Tonfa. As Casey attacked Camille, Theo took a moment to catch his breath.

"Lily, hurry – Pangolin went down that hole!"

"No worries," Lily grinned, twirling her Mace as Theo moved to the attack, "Carter and I will take care of him!"

"You reel him in, I'll carve him up!" Carter smirked, brandishing the Bull Blade as Lily threw her Jungle Mace down the deep pit Pangolin had created.

"_Three, two, one..."_

"Yeah - I got a bite!" Lily grinned, yanking up on the chain of her Mace.

"Bull Blade – full power!" Carter ordered, running his left hand along the blade itself, turning it into a blade of pure green energy and flinging it at Pangolin like a boomerang just as Lily finished pulling him from the hole.

"No! I haven't reached the- UGH!" Pangolin's moaning when he landed was interrupted as Carter's blade spun into his back armour, leaving a massive crack before returning to the pseudo-Magna Defender's hand.

"Over here, chrome face!" Carter smirked, standing next to Lily.

"Why, you little pests!" Pangolin roared.

"Feel that crack in your armour, Pangolin?" Carter teased.

"That should tell you something – these little pests are **big** trouble!" Lily added wryly, brandishing her Jungle Mace. Less than 30 seconds later and despite his best efforts at evasion, Pangolin was left reeling on the ground, the armour on his back having been utterly destroyed by Lily and Carter's Mace attacks. As the duo finally relaxed, Theo and Casey came over.

"You got the Mace – both of you; no way!" Theo playfully complained.

"Hey, Master Phant gave up on himself – but we didn't give up on him." Carter grinned, patting his own Jungle Mace which was now strapped across his shoulders, "Amazing what a little willpower does to give people a purpose."

"Carter, look out!" Casey yelled; Pangolin was back up and had made a rather weak effort at carving out the Green Ranger's spine, only succeeding in slicing through his cape and hitting the ball-end of the Jungle Mace.

"_Hmm... that didn't happen in canon,"_ Carter mused as he swung backwards with his sword, making a dent in the armour of Pangolin's wrist. Stumbling back, the enraged Rinshi Beast grew giant-sized.

"You guys mind if I take this one?" the Green Ranger growled, "I've got a bone to pick now – and in a way, I owe you."

"Your spirit can beat him solo?" Casey asked.

"According to data in the morpher, it can form a Megazord, Red – I'll be fine." Carter replied wryly.

"Then go for it!" Casey grinned.

"We'll be here if you need the Jungle Pride." Lily smiled softly, putting a hand on Carter's armoured shoulder, "For now, get up there and show him just what the Bull can do."

"For a beauty like you, Lil, how can I resist?" Carter flirted before stepping away and clearing his mind. His Ranger suit started glowing, a bright emerald green as his Bull Spirit – already strengthened by its attack run at Phant's house – yearned for battle once more.

"Calling on the Spirit of the Bull – transform!"

And with that, the Jungle Fury Bull Ranger vanished – and a giant green-and-black Bull Zord with golden horns, physically identical to Torozord, pounded through the city, eventually rising on its hind legs and transforming into a humanoid Megazord holding a giant golden axe.

"Bull Pride Megazord!" Carter's voice bellowed from within the Megazord.

"It's almost like the Magna Defender's back..." Theo gaped. The other Rangers threw him looks as the Bull Pride managed to physically hold off Pangolin with axe and fist alike, stopping the beast from executing his Rolling Attack. As the Bull Pride gracefully dodged a strike from Pangolin, the Elephant Spirit Zord appeared and combined with it, augmenting its already considerable power at the cost of its axe. By that point Pangolin's armour was scratched and smoking due to a failed effort at using his Rolling Attack. Lily was in awe as the new Megazord switched between blocking Pangolin's attacks with the Jungle Mace and lashing out with it.

"How can someone so strong be so... so...?"

"So swift, Lil; fast, maybe even graceful?" Casey grinned, "Well, with you to fight for and his lifelong training, how couldn't he be?"

"Yeah – it's obvious to anyone with half a brain he loves you, Lil," Theo added, "With that heart and his skill, Pangolin's history!"

Lily blushed – and then cheered with the others as the Bull Pride Megazord stood triumphant over the stony remains of the Pangolin.

"He did it!" Casey grinned.

"I told you he'd win, Lil!" Theo added.

"Thanks, Master Phant! Thanks, Carter!" Lily laughed, "You two are the greatest!"

"_Thank you both,"_ Phant's voice resounded in his students' minds, _"For believing in me."_

"Anytime, Master," Carter murmured from inside the Bull Pride, "Anytime at all."

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 9 PM)_

After a trying afternoon and evening fixing up Phant's home and then helping Fran and RJ keep the restaurant going during a massive rush, Carter had been 'banished' to the loft for a night of R&R at Phant's suggestion and with RJ's support; the two Masters agreed that he had helped a great deal over that day, and deserved some rest. Unfortunately, their universe's newest Green Ranger was too antsy to rest or meditate; he was also unable to return to the kitchen and exercise his creativity that way. Thus, he turned to a third vice (after culinary work and martial arts); dancing.

"_Admittedly I suck compared to RJ and Lily, but if this doesn't work off my excess energy..." _Carter mused as Posthumous' "Unstoppable" (3) started playing in the shared space of the loft. As the lyric-less music turned from soft and mournful to a heavy, pounding rock-like beat, Carter Sisko **moved** – and as the song ended for the fifth time fifteen minutes later, the warrior chef stood in a strong fighting stance, breathing heavily through his nose, brow soaked with sweat, memories flowing through his mind of the last time he'd danced like that for that long... before he shut off the boom-box his music was blasting from and ground his teeth, exhaling raggedly in an effort not to cry. Somehow, the new Green Ranger managed to stumble into his room, change into clean pyjamas and return to the shared space before anyone came into the loft.

That was how Lily found Carter as she came up to the loft, having finished her section of the closing chores.

"Carter? You okay?"

The dimensionally-displaced fighter/cook threw a watery glare at Lily; the effect was grossly ruined by the moisture pooling in Carter's eyes.

"Oh, Carter... what's wrong?" Lily asked; pulling her muscular friend into a tight hug, gently directing him to her room and sealing the door for privacy as he finally broke down in tears.

"Shantelle would've... loved to see what happened today; me using my skills for others, becoming a Ranger..." Carter sniffled, angrily wiping at his eyes as he and Lily sat on her bed, "She always supported my self-defense training...!"

"You mentioned her before, back at Master Phant's; was she another friend from your hometown? What happened to her?" Lily asked.

"She was, yes; one of the best. I met her in junior high... after a series of childish mistakes," Carter admitted, "I lashed out in jealousy towards the few friends I had then, on an extremely bad day, and ended up alone for it... Shantelle saved me from a life of solitude, and I grew to love her; but when it counted I **couldn't tell her that!**" Carter ground out in self-depreciation as tears fell from his dark eyes, "She died... on Valentines' Day, five years ago, the very day I came to realize that. Three years later to the day, my dad was killed in an industrial accident... and my mother vanished a month later, on my 18th birthday. She left the house and all of my father's life insurance to me... selling the house, I was left with a considerable sum of money, but nothing to do with it. I'd give it all for my loved ones, though...!"

"Carter... I..." Lily gulped, biting back the urge to cry herself. _"I didn't know you had such a lonely life... what can I do to help?"_

"Please... Let me finish," Carter sniffled, "Dad died because of an accident; my mother vanished because she gave up on... well, everything. Shantelle, however, died because no one cared enough about her; she only had me as a friend, no one else... and I never told her I loved her as more, because I was terrified I would lose her. Now I'm in that situation again... I care for a beautiful girl as more then a friend, but she's also a very dear friend; and I'm so terrified I'll lose her one way or another...!"

Lily gaped. _"Was Theo __**right**__?"_

"Who's the lucky lady, Carter?" the Cheetah Ranger asked with forced light-heartedness, "A customer; Fran, perhaps? Did Ada find her way here?"

"No... No, she's not a customer, and Ada's still god-knows-where. You know the lucky lady, Lil; you know her quite well – and she's not Fran either; Theo would probably kill me if that were the case," Carter replied with a watery smile and weak humour, locking his red-rimmed eyes with Lily's baby blues, "You see her every day, Lily Chilman; every time you look in the mirror."

"**Me**?" Lily's eyes widened in shock, "You're...?"

"Y-yeah," Carter gulped and broke eye contact first, "You probably hate me now, huh?"

"What?" Lily blinked, "What're you talking about, Carter?"

"You don't feel the same way, right? Or you don't want to date because of the whole Ranger gig?" Carter added, "I understand; I'll just..."

Lily pulled back with a smile, having just kissed Carter on the cheek, **dangerously **close to his mouth.

"Uh..." Carter gaped.

"You could always shut up and let me talk, Bull Boy," she retorted playfully, "I told you before, we've got a bond of our own – different from my bond with Theo or Casey – that will last forever. Now, I don't know if it's love or not; I may have been a cheerleader in high school, but I never dated. No one-"

"Seemed date-worthy?" Carter smiled faintly. _"I know that feeling well."_

"Exactly; all the guys who were interested in me had all of your muscle, none of your brains and no respect for women," Lily's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile, "Point is, I had no love life until now, so I don't know if this is love; but I do know you're special to me, Carter Sisko, and I don't want to lose that. Especially not to your own fear and anger! It's those very emotions that make Dai Shi stronger; you know that as well as any of – mmm!"

Lily's rant was silenced as Carter's lips met her own, and the Cheetah Ranger's thoughts were momentarily silenced... all but one, anyway.

"_My god... he's strong, smart, respectful, polite to no end, __**and**__ a good kisser? Cheetah Girl, you've just hit the jackpot!"_

As oxygen became an issue, both Rangers pulled back simultaneously.

"Wow." Lily breathed.

"Wow indeed," Carter smiled, "So, you still don't know if this is love, Lily Chilman?"

"Carter, just shut up and kiss me again!" Lily retorted with equal parts amusement and embarrassment.

"Your wish, fair maiden, is my command," Carter rumbled wryly. As their two pairs of smiling lips connected in a soft, sweet kiss, the Green and Yellow Rangers finally relaxed – another day was over, another of Dai Shi's plots foiled, and another step had been taken towards making Ocean Bluff their home. And for their part, Carter and Lily had finally found tranquility in each other – and that was something Dai Shi could never destroy.

Amidst their comfort, the duo hoped it was enough.

* * *

A/N: (1) A _Jian_ is a relative of the _Dao_, the Chinese saber the Shark Sabers are based from.

(2) The battle in question will be referred to again; Ranger fans should know what it is via use of a little math.

(3) The song in question only came out a few months ago - the disparity will be explained in time.


	4. Romance, Slime, Flight, Jellyfish

Disclaimer: As usual, not mine (though Carter Sisko is; ask first if you wish to borrow), never has been, and – the way I write – never will be. The concept of Ranger 'rigs' being made of Unstable Molecular Fabric is from Ellen Brand's "Personality Conflicts" saga here on FFN; the concept of UMF on the whole is from Marvel Comics. Slimer is a character from Ghostbusters. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling – you'll see why this disclaimer's here when you read the chapter, and no, this is** not** turning into another HP/PR crossover.

A/N: Many thanks to BraZarre for reviewing and bookmarking my work. This chapter is the part where some eps are (while not ignored) only noted in the grand scheme of the fic; this chapter will also be dominantly about "Pushed to the Edge", with cameos from "Good Karma, Bad Karma," "Blind Leading the Blind," and the night before "One Master Too Many."

_**Jungle Fury, New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 4: Romance, Slime, Flight, Jellyfish**_

_**

* * *

**_

"_**If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.**__" – Bruce Lee

* * *

_

_(Lily's Room, JKP Loft, 1200 A.M. (midnight), Wednesday May 14__th__ 2008)_

The sight in Lily's room would have left her secret inner romantic blushing; as she and Carter continued talking about anything and everything after the Bull Ranger's unofficial admission of love towards her, time **flew **by, until before they knew it... it was midnight. With a full moon bathing Lily's bedroom in white light, the duo moved to her bed and cuddled for a bit.

"Carter?" Lily whispered.

"Lily?" Carter breathed.

"I love you." Lily quickly replied.

"Oh, Lily..." Carter smiled faintly and kissed her hair; an easy task given he was basically hugging her from behind, "Don't tell me that because I want to hear it – you said yourself you've never dated before me and don't know first-hand what romantic love is. I know you care for me as more than a friend, and believe me when I say that's more than good enough. Tell me you love me – that you're **in love** with me – when you know the feeling is real; it'll mean that much more then."

Lily turned in Carter's arms, and locked her eyes with his. He grinned at her.

"Look," Carter added, "The only reason I know this isn't just lust on **my** part – that I'm in love with you with all of my heart and soul – is because you inspire me just as Shantelle did; heck, let's be honest... you do that better than she ever did..." he kissed Lily's hair again before continuing, "you make me **feel**, more than she ever did..." a kiss to her forehead this time, "you make me smile and laugh, even when sometimes all I want to do is give in to the darkness in my heart..." a kiss to the Cheetah student's nose, which caused her to giggle, "you've brought me out of some of my worst funks, just by being the incredible person you are..." a kiss to the blonde's left cheek, "you're a smart, sweet, and beautiful woman, who makes me want to be better than I am, be **more** than I am, if only so I can see a smile grace your features..." a kiss to her right cheek as she smiled broadly, "and while a lot of guys would die for their loved ones... you make me want to **live** for you, Lily, and that's a great deal much more challenging." Finally, the Bull Ranger planted an innocent yet soul-searing kiss on Lily's lips.

"You do all that for me, too, Carter," Lily murmured after he pulled back, "After victory in all our recent battles it hasn't been Theo I've wanted to celebrate with – or Casey, or RJ. It's been you, just so I can see your face. When you fought Pangolin with the Bull Pride earlier today, I was so scared you'd be killed like we almost were this morning; but when you beat him... words cannot describe how happy I was for you, how **proud** I was. I'm sure wherever she is, Shantelle feels the same way."

"I could tell," Carter grinned, "But that's only a part of love, Lily. You've read the Harry Potter books, right?"

"First five," Lily replied wryly, "Couldn't stand the last two; the characters were butchered to no end."

"I hear that," Carter rolled his eyes as memories of disappointment flashed through his mind for a moment, "But you noticed how Hermione did everything possible for Harry and more in the books you **did** read, right?"

"Of course I noticed that," Lily smirked, "I'm a romantic at heart, remember?"

"I remember," Carter snickered, "So am I – you know that everything I read in books and watch on TV has a romantic undertone to it. Point is, what she did in the books... that's part of love too, Lily; doing everything possible to make the other person happy by your own free will – from the biggest act to the smallest... all to help them, regardless of your expense."

"I figured as much," Lily replied with a grin, "That's why you faced Pangolin's giant form instead of us, right? It wasn't just that you owed me one for letting you train with me; you were helping me out even though you could have been killed."

"Okay, ya got me," Carter sheepishly replied.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't kill you; that's a cop-out after what you've tried to do," Lily playfully retorted, "I'm actually kind of flattered. Just remember I can handle myself."

"Hey, that's part of why I fell for you," Carter grinned, "You're a living embodiment of the four S's – Strong, Smart, Sweet and Sexy!"

"Here's a fifth; sleepy," Lily yawned softly as she blushed fit to make a tomato jealous, "Stay with me?"

"Always, Lily – or at least until you kick me out for being too fresh," Carter smiled, wrapping Lily in his arms; he felt the toned muscles in her stomach move as she giggled at Carter's joke, "Figure I might as well ask this officially; will you be the girlfriend of this stubborn old bull?"

"As long as you'll be the boyfriend of this hard-headed cheetah," Lily replied happily.

"Of course I will, Lily; as long as you want me," Carter shot back with a smile, the couple sealing the deal with a kiss as they both curled up under Lily's cheetah-spotted sheets.

"Just keep it PG-rated for now, Bull Boy, and you can cuddle with me every night for all I care." Lily winked.

"You've got a deal, Cheetah Girl." Carter chuckled.

Unfortunately, that would be the last bit of comfort they would get for a while.

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 1100 A.M.)_

"RJ...!" Theo cried, slipping and falling to the floor.

"RJ...! Carter, watch out – oof!" Lily screamed; she ended up tripping over her own slippery feet and falling into the Bull Ranger's arms. Carter blushed as his body and Lily's pressed flush against one another (despite his jeans and t-shirt) due to the slime-soaked state of Lily's yellow training jerkin; his sight was also partially obscured by a familiar, lovely mane of dirty-blonde hair.

"Hi," Lily murmured into Carter's shoulder.

"Hi, Lil," Carter smiled, moving Lily's hair away from his eyes, "you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost. Not that you look pale, but all this goo..."

"He slimed us, Sisko," Lily joked in an Australian accent, understanding her boyfriend's dry humour.

"Oh, wipe your feet, guys – this is our home!" RJ groaned from in his chair.

"No worries, boss-wolf; I'll clean it in a few minutes!" Carter replied, carefully setting Lily on the floor as she apologized for the mess, "What happened, guys; how'd you get covered in this crap?"

"We faced off against some eel-like creature – he's impossible to beat; our attacks slide right off him. He's covering the city in slime!" Theo reported.

"He sent us all the way back here from the heart of downtown, using some massive slime attack!" Lily groaned as she and Theo removed their uniform's shoes – even the insoles were slime-covered, which made Carter cringe.

"Must've been one doozy of an attack, then; Ranger rigs may be spandex, but they're treated with unstable molecules and the strongest alloys in the universe by the Morphing Grid – they're tuned to your strengths and pretty much indestructible bar massive explosions, energy overloads or energy loss, as fifteen years of Rangers before now have demonstrated... yet even with that, this guy's gone and pulled the mother of all "Slimer" attacks on you." Carter replied.

"Where's Casey?" RJ asked.

"He said he had something important to check on." Theo replied.

"Well," RJ chuckled, "You'd better figure out a way to de-slime this slippery serpent before the city slips away."

"Certainly," Theo muttered, slipping and falling on his back. Lily was little better, having to hold onto Carter's shirt to stand.

"Ah, hell... lean on me guys, I've got ya," Carter smiled, pulling Theo to his feet, "I'll get you two to your rooms; this shirt need a wash anyway. You just wash that slime off."

"Are you going to help us out on the battlefield today?" Theo asked with an arm wrapped around Carter's left shoulder, his right already being occupied by Lily's arm.

"Nah; you three have got this," Carter grinned as he held up Theo and Lily with a degree of effort (he had to stoop to account for Theo's height), directing the two to Theo's room first, "Slickagon – that's this guy's name – was one of your easier opponents in the show; RJ's advice is sound, and a way to de-slime this bastard might show up from a much unexpected place."

"Wouldn't your Bull Blaster boil the slime away?" Theo asked.

"Possibly, yes; the Bull Blaster's shots are basically superheated plasma energy supplied by the Morphing Grid. The slime would burn away like paper to fire under a constant assault of that kind of firepower," Carter replied, "But it's not necessary; you beat him without me in the show – and your show was two years ago back home, so I damn well know what I'm talking about – you can beat him now."

"It was 2010 in your universe?" Lily gaped.

"October 2010, yes," Carter nodded, "And a lonely year it was indeed. Theo, think you can get to your shower from here without incident?"

"I'll do my best, Carter; you just get Lily to her room." Theo replied, gripping the doorframe to his room and slowly making his way inside.

"Good." Carter smiled, "C'mon, Lil – let's get you cleaned up."

"How'll you get me to my room without sliding all over the place?" Lily asked, "I'm soaked with slime, and so is the floor!"

"Oh, a little trick I learned from Shantelle," Carter grinned. Lily squeaked in shock, her arms automatically going around Carter's neck as he picked her up bridal-style, easily carrying her to her room.

"Smooth moves, Sisko!" RJ smirked wolfishly, having been told of Lily and Carter's new relationship that morning, "You really **do **know how to treat a lady!"

"Thanks, boss!" Carter replied wryly. After ensuring Lily could get to her shower as well, Carter changed his shirt – which had been covered in the slime drenching Theo and Lily – and, after finding a towel and some cleaning supplies, got to work cleaning the slime off the floor before going for a shower himself.

* * *

_(JKP Kitchen, Friday May 16__th__ 2008, 1000 A.M.)_

As he heard the customers start cursing and spluttering, Carter groaned. _"The salt incident – dammit, Sisko, really, __**HOW DID YOU NOT SEE THIS COMING**__!?"_

"Good mindset, T, but bad results," Carter muttered, "At least I pre-empted the 'perishables perished' incident; it would've been **nasty **if that had gone down," The official Second Cook of JKP stepped out of the kitchen for a moment.

"Lil, give me a sit-rep; what happened?"

"Taste for yourself, C," Lily replied wryly, holding out a plastic pitcher, "This is what Theo was filling the cheese shakers with – while reading Sun Tzu's-"

"The Art of War, I know," Carter replied, "It's one of my favourite philosophy books; Kyoshi Frank gave it to me as a birthday present years ago after I passed my Yellow Belt test. I'd give Theo props for reading it if not for... this mess." Running a finger along the lip of the container, he grimaced as he held that same finger up to his eye before wiping it off on a clean section of apron, "No need to taste this; I know salt when I see it. Where is our esteemed colleague?"

"Upstairs; if Theo's not still reading, RJ's probably grilling him right now," Lily smiled sheepishly.

"For RJ, anyway," Carter nodded, "This isn't Theo's first error today, Lil; I had to shut the fridge when I checked the kitchen before bed last night. Theo was the one who restocked it. Any later on my part, and the perishables would've... well, perished." Eyes widening in surprise, Lily nodded towards the kitchen; the two headed there, to speak a little more freely.

"He's not focusing too well, is he?" she groaned.

Carter shook his head, "No, he's not, Lily; that means that if Dai Shi attacks, I'm going with you. If today's what I think it is, even if Theo were focusing perfectly... you'll need the Bull now more than ever."

Looking at her boyfriend with a raised eyebrow, Lily saw the seriousness in his eyes – the clean-shaven, usually light-hearted Bull Ranger was not joking around.

"You know you're always welcome to join us out there," Lily replied softly, "RJ did tell you that your battlefield presence is your call."

"I know – but I didn't before; you three could handle whatever came by yourselves. Slickagon, the Poisons – even Pangolin would've been beatable without me, but I came in for **that** because I felt the time was right. Now, though..."

"Dai Shi's army's getting stronger even faster than before, huh?" Lily breathed.

"Yes," Carter muttered. "Yes, they are. One of the Overlords is back – Carnisoar, Overlord of the Sky; RJ can tell you more, but Carnisoar's probably making Dai Shi stronger – God only knows how. And if Carnisoar's back, Jellica, Overlord of the Sea – and Grizzakka, Overlord of the Land – won't be far behind."

"Great," Lily groaned.

"Guys, we've gotta go!" Casey cried from upstairs. Carter smiled towards his girlfriend.

"Time to move out, Lil – you ready for this?"

"Always," Lily grinned; the two then sprinted after their friends, heading to another battle.

* * *

_(One hour later)_

"Oof... definitely a whole other thing being part of this," Carter grimaced, "Those two flying turkeys were tough – I'm surprised they left us alive!"

"Probably to mess with our heads," Theo groaned.

"Who were they, though?" Casey asked.

"And more importantly, how do we beat them?" Lily added.

"Bai Lai and Carden," RJ replied, "Insanely powerful creatures..."

"Insanely strong swordsmen too," Carter snarled, slamming a fist into his palm, "They got past every move I could make with the Bull Blade; we couldn't lay a hand on them otherwise, the Jungle Mace didn't work for the Jungle Pride... we've gotta find another way to beat them."

"You guys want to figure this out up here?" Theo asked, "I'll think downstairs – gotta make some pizza sauce."

"**Pizza sauce!?**" Lily gaped as Theo headed to the stairs.

"C'mon, man – we need you to focus on defeating these beasts!" Carter added.

"Okay, okay!" Theo replied, "You're right, guys – sorry... let me think..."

It was then that the four Rangers noticed a man, in a large black coat... hanging upside-down from the rafters. Carter gaped in shock with the rest as the man **swooped** down, flying straight towards them and forcing them to evade. As he bounced off the north wall with his feet and rebounded in the other direction, the bat-like man ended up flying straight towards a stoic Carter, who – after ignoring all his friends' pleas to get out of the way – simply flipped forward over the man and looked towards him as he landed.

"Guys, stand down – he's a friend!" Carter barked.

"You know this guy!?" Theo asked.

"Only by reputation, I'm afraid. But RJ knows this guy well; he trained with him." Carter replied.

"Master Swoop," RJ smiled.

"Greetings, RJ." Swoop answered calmly.

"Swoop here was my favourite Master; taught me the Swoop Technique of fighting blind." RJ added.

"You taught this blind Master a few tricks yourself," Swoop grinned; RJ bowed his head in a show of humility as the Bat Master continued, "I see the rumours are true; you **have** taken on an extra cub – the Bull I nearly flew into just now."

"Carter Sisko, sir," Carter replied, stepping forward and extending a hand towards Swoop, "It's an honour to meet you."

"Same to you, Carter," Swoop smiled, grasping and shaking Carter's hand firmly; "You and I have much to talk about; but that can wait until later."

As Carter stepped back, his introduction complete, Theo stepped forward and – with a distinct **lack** of stealth – waved his hand in Swoop's face.

"Yes, Theo – I'm blind," Swoop replied, removing his dark glasses and revealing his milk-grey eyes to the Blue Ranger, "That doesn't mean I enjoy you waving your hand in my face."

"You always did like to make an entrance," RJ smiled; the other Rangers shot Theo looks ranging from amusement (Lily) to annoyance (Casey) as Swoop replaced his glasses, "Think fast!"

Swoop caught the orange RJ threw; the action revealed the Masters' Tattoo on his right forearm.

"Still got it," RJ admitted, "I can only guess why you're here."

"Indeed," Swoop replied, "My Bat Spirit picked up a sonic disturbance in the skies – Bai Lai and Carden have returned."

"So **that's** who those bastards were; now that we know their names, it should be cake defeating them," Carter deadpanned, grunting as Lily elbowed him in the ribs. Swoop shot the Bull Ranger a wry grin.

"Carter, RJ – can I have a word with you two? Alone?" the Bat Master asked.

"Sure," RJ answered, "Uh, guys; do ya mind?"

"Go on – we'll talk later." Carter added. Lily and Casey nodded, heading to the restaurant.

"Great; you two Masters catch up!" Theo replied, "We're going to make some sauce, figure out how to defeat those beasts- oof!" Theo gasped, having tripped over the last step leading up to the exit, "Make some... sauce...!"

"Theo's mind is scattered; he is not focused on the task at hand," Swoop noted as the three primary Rangers left the loft.

"Yeah, we've noticed," RJ replied.

"In this state, he is of no use to any of you." Swoop added.

"Indeed; and with those flying freaks on the loose…" Carter pinched his nose and sighed.

"I think I know how to help him; Carter, you'll have to fill in the hole in the triangle while Theo is gone." Swoop replied.

"Me?" Carter blinked.

"I've seen your bonds with Lily and Casey," Swoop nodded, "Theo's training will take a good amount of the day; even if we had other Pai Zhua students to choose from – and we really don't – I doubt any of them would be able to help better than you could."

"Understood – I won't let you down." Carter grinned.

"You never have before, Carter," RJ smiled at his once-unexpected fourth student, "Now get moving, will ya?"

"Do you think Mao was right?" RJ murmured as Carter headed down to the restaurant proper.

"About the prophecy, you mean?" Swoop retorted, "It's clear that Carter Sisko is the one who will bring your team into a level of balance only shared by Earth's **first** Power Rangers years ago... but only time will tell if he is the one the scrolls describe."

"They described a focused, driven warrior who is lonely, powerful, yet pure of heart; the Chosen Three and their Master would give him purpose – the Tiger would give him a brother, the Jaguar a friend, and the Cheetah a lover, while their Master would be a father figure to the Warrior. In turn, he will give the team balance the likes of which the world has only seen once before, thus preventing the Final Beast War from lasting more than a day... but Mao could not translate anything further than that before he was sent to the Spirit World." RJ grimaced, "I don't know why."

"Probably because until that day, he didn't know who the Chosen Three were." Swoop replied softly, "Now he does; and now he sees the dynamic they – and you – share with Carter. For all any of us knew Jarrod could have been the one."

"But he wasn't. Carter's been good for us... all of us," RJ sighed, "Lily's a lot happier than before – a feat I thought was impossible when she first arrived; Theo is much more willing to go with the flow and bend the rules... Casey's a much better leader thanks to advice from Carter, and I'm even a better mentor."

"Carter has helped all of you greatly," Swoop noted, "It's a good omen for what he is meant to do here."

* * *

_(JKP Loft, Friday, May 16__th__ 2008, 1130 A.M.)_

"The birds are back in town?" Casey asked, sprinting towards RJ with Lily at his side. Carter unstrapped his leg weights and walked towards them.

"Where's Theo?" Lily asked.

"Off training with Master Swoop," RJ answered, "Until he gets back it's up to you three."

"I hope he trains fast!" Lily grimaced.

"He'll be here," Carter's low voice boomed confidently, already heading towards a vine, "We've just got to hold the line until then!"

"Let's do it!" Casey grinned, "Lily, you and Carter team up on Bai Lai – I'll take Carden!"

"We can take the Strike Riders to get there," Carter added, "It works just like Casey's, Lil – I made one for each of the rest of us."

Lily grinned, having wanted her own Strike Rider for **ages** since seeing Casey's; with that, the three Rangers exited the loft.

* * *

_(Downtown Ocean Bluff, 1105 A.M.)_

Unfortunately, the three could only go so far on their bikes; eventually, they had to continue on foot.

"I've had enough of these birds!" Lily groaned as they reached the battlefield.

"I hear that!" Carter growled; cocking the Bull Blaster as Bai Lai and Carden came to them, he fired – and then had to dodge as Bai Lai's counterattack nearly took his head off. Thus, the fight began.

"You two can't fight with the big boys!" Bai Lai crowed as he dodged a staff strike from Lily.

"Don't be so sure!" Lily retorted, jumping towards Bai Lai only to be sent reeling by an energy strike. As Bai Lai attempted to hit Lily while she was recovering, Carter stood in the way, blocking the attack with his Bull Blade – though his arms rang with pain at the recoil from Bai Lai's attack.

"You dishonourable bastard...!" Carter growled as he strained against Bai Lai's broadsword, "What kind of warrior hits an opponent when they're down!?"

"The kind of warrior who **wins**!" the Crow Spirit screeched, kicking the Bull Ranger back and following up with a series of rapid strikes to his chest.

"Jungle Bo!" Lily cried, attempting to strike the Crow Spirit while he was distracted by attacking Carter; unfortunately, her attack failed as Bai Lai blocked, then grabbed the Jungle Bo and wrenched it from her grip, forcing Lily to flip away and revise her attack plan.

"Don't run away, sweetheart – I'm just getting started!" he crowed – only to cry out as energy blasts pelted him in the back. **"**What –**YOU!**"

"Yeah, me; you want to fight, try the Bull on for size, feathers-for-brains!" Carter bellowed, replacing the Bull Blaster at his hip and drawing the Bull Blade, "Fight fair or don't fight at all!"

"I'll take option three – destroying you!" Bai Lai screamed, flying straight at Carter and downing him with a powerful slash before he could use his weapon. As Lily and Casey rolled to a stop next to him seconds later, Carter growled.

"Question, guys; if honour equals victory, **why** are we being slagged?" the Bull Ranger groaned sarcastically.

"I hear you – Theo better get here soon. We need him!" Casey added.

"Like Carter said, he'll be here; but we've got to stay on our feet!" Lily replied, "Come on, guys!"

Standing and assuming their stances, the three Rangers got back into the fight – and for a while, they held their own. There was even a moment where the Bull Blaster actually seemed to damage the two flying spirits. Unfortunately, it didn't last; Bai Lai and Carden were simply too strong, and too fast for the Rangers to use the Claw Cannon against.

In a powerful explosion of energy, the Ranger trio were sent flying, and thus were defeated as their morphs gave out. However, shortly afterwards Theo arrived... and the rest was history.

Later, Carter smiled under his helmet as the Jungle Pride Megazord with Bat Power flew off.

"Good luck, guys... you can do it." Carter smiled, before getting on his bike and heading back to base.

Later on at JKP, once Bai Lai had been defeated and Carden sent away with his tail between his legs, Carter stood with his teammates as Swoop said farewell... and could not help but grin at the Bat Master's eccentric sense of humour as he pranked Theo.

* * *

_(Monday, May 19__th__ 2008, 2 PM)_

"Come on, Carter...!" Casey growled from the swamp he, Lily and Theo were standing in, "Get her! We believe in you!"

It had been three days since Master Swoop's arrival, and the Jungle Fury team had just faced off against a new challenge – Jellica, the Sea Overlord. Unfortunately, she had completely dominated the fight, easily shocking the Jungle Pride Megazord into submission; the Bull Pride, however, appeared to be more robust despite only being made of one Spirit Zord, for it had weathered the storm of Jellica's first attacks easily and was now attacking the Sea Overlord with obvious ruthlessness. Unfortunately, the Jellyfish spirit was evading every attack and even countering some of them. Nothing in the Bull Pride's arsenal proved effective; neither axe nor sabre nor battle lance even fazed her. Between that battle and facing Carden earlier that day, the Rangers were fighting serious fatigue.

Eventually, despite the Bull Ranger's willpower, Jellica had the Bull Pride in a chokehold, just as she'd paralyzed the Jungle Pride moments before.

"Stubborn Bull," Jellica boomed, "You shall be one of the first to fall!"

"Not... today...** bitch**...!" Carter ground out; reaching behind him and using one of the few Aikido moves he knew, he threw Jellica over his shoulder just as she tried to shock him. However, the axe kick he tried to add served as the perfect conductor for the electricity Jellica was generating.

"**Dammit!!!"** Carter roared as the Bull Pride was defeated in an explosion of energy and he landed next to Lily.

"Carter, you okay?" Lily asked, pulling the Bull Ranger to his feet.

"The Bull Pride's down – for now," Carter groaned, "Geez, she's tough!"

"No kidding," Casey replied, "If she can beat you...!"

"Don't worry about it; we'll get her next time!" Lily encouraged.

"Yeah, guys – one day. She only got me there because I was sloppy," Carter grimaced.

"Get real, you two; she's just toying with us!" Theo retorted. The four turned as they heard malicious laughter, seeing Jellica, Camille and Jarrod/Dai Shi.

"He's right – I could have destroyed you easily; but I wanted to save that honour for my new student!" Jellica smirked, before pointing her staff at the foursome and launching an energy blast above their heads. Carter and Lily managed to flip forward before the attack landed on them; Casey and Theo weren't so lucky, as their legs were slowly bound in a small pile of gel.

"What the – guys!" Lily gaped, turning back to help them. Suddenly, Jellica attacked again, attempting to bind Lily in a tentacle; turning back towards the villainess as she heard a cry of pain, Lily saw Carter standing protectively between her and Jellica holding a smoking Bull Blaster, Jellica herself reeling in pain, and the decomposing remains of something organic.

"I knew I forgot one fact about you so-called Overlords," the Bull Ranger snarled darkly, "You and anyone you train are honourless **slime** – attacking someone whose back is turned is pathetic! The bloody **Phantom Beasts** have more respect than you!"

Jellica growled at the insult; Camille gnashed her teeth, and Jarrod/Dai Shi glared at Carter.

"She turned her back on her opponent!" Jarrod/Dai Shi retorted, "Your friend deserves to be destroyed if she makes such amateur mistakes!"

"**WRONG!" **the dimensionally-displaced fighter boomed, "Lily is no amateur, Jarrod; you of **all** people should know that! Jellica – you want to destroy someone with your pathetic methods!? Try **me**!" Carter growled lowly, brandishing the Bull Blade, "Though I hope you're prepared to meet your doom, **shrimp**."

"Wrong – I told you before; for underestimating me, the two of you shall be the first to fall, Rangers!" the Sea Overlord spat, striking with a mass of her binding tentacles again. Reacting with surprising speed Carter blasted all of them – but missed two, to his everlasting annoyance. One slammed into his chest and sent him flying back towards the others, while the other ensnared Lily despite her best evasive efforts. As Jellica energized the tentacle that was binding Lily with powerful electricity, the Yellow Ranger's morpher overloaded, rendering her Ranger powers useless even as she struggled through the pain of being shocked.

"Leave her **alone!**" Carter roared, wordlessly summoning his Bull Spirit to attack even as his own body was reeling from the sensation of a thousand poking pins and needles. Unfortunately, the attack did little good; Jellica swatted the spirit away as if it were a common fly and sent a powerful blast right at the morphed Rangers with her staff – in defense of his friends Carter stood in front of the full attack, causing it to hit him head-on while Lily, Casey and Theo could only watch.

"**CARTER!!" **Lily screamed, redoubling her efforts to break free from her bindings as her boyfriend landed face down in a crater created by the blast. She didn't even notice the tears falling from her own blue eyes, "Carter – get up!"

"Stand tall, man!" Theo cried.

"Don't give up – come on, bro, keep fighting! **KEEP FIGHTING, DAMMIT – WE WILL NOT LOSE YOU LIKE THIS!**" Casey roared. Unfortunately, their pleas fell on unresponsive ears; Carter Sisko was down, immobile even as Dai Shi, Camille and Jellica broke out in malicious laughter.

"So much for the **mighty** Bull Ranger," Jellica spat sarcastically, "His 'predecessor' Master Horn would be greatly disappointed!"

As a stunned trio of Rangers heard the slander thrown at two of their own, Carter was experiencing a flashback... to one of the few good times in his past.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

"_I honestly don't get why you like that stuff!" a dark-haired young girl grinned at a younger Carter Sisko as they walked the streets of L.A., "You always tell me violence solves nothing."_

"_The martial arts aren't about violence, Shantelle," Carter smiled at the girl; his dearest friend and first love, Shantelle Moore, "They're about self-defense, discipline, control, strength and confidence. Grandpa Ben and the owner of Rising Sun – Kyoshi Jason Frank – are making sure I have all of that for the future so I don't end up a sheep; or worse, dead."_

"_I don't... entirely understand, Carter," Shantelle admitted, "But I'll do whatever I can to support you. And I want you to know, I'm proud of you. I always will be, no matter what; and so will the lucky girl who gets to marry you."_

"_She'll have to be a fighter, though, to get to know me like you have," Carter grinned. The duo laughed; indeed, Carter's emotional armour was – even then – a foot thick; at that time, Shantelle Moore probably knew the then-nearly-16-year-old the best._

_(End Flashback)

* * *

_

"_You were all... so proud of me..."_ the Bull Ranger mused through the pain; miraculously, he was still conscious, though reeling. Indeed, his eyes were shut tight as he tried to regain control of his pain centres, and his body held barely enough power to maintain his morph, _"Shantelle, Ada, and Lily were all proud of me... because I never gave up the fight... because under the emotional armour they all saw someone good, someone __**strong**__. For goodness sake, I've hurt worse than this – my pneumonia scare when I was 18 was much more painful... so __**why can't I move?!**__" _

"_Come on, Sisko, __**get up!**__"_

"_You can still save Lily!"_ Two more voices cried in his mind, one male and one female; suddenly, Carter felt all the fatigue and pain from the battle vanish as his mindscape appeared in his vision, and two people walked towards him. One was a shorter, dark-haired girl with blue-grey eyes, clad in a grey tank top and dark blue jeans with her shoulder-length hair in a ponytail; the other was a humanoid warrior wearing black-and-gold armour much like Carter's.

"_Shantelle – is that you!?" _Carter gaped, _"And Magna Defender? But how is this possible? You both died, years ago!"_

"_Because of my own stupidity and Magna Defender's sacrifice, I know – and believe me, nothing you did could change any of that!" _the former love of Carter's life retorted passionately, _"But you can change this; Lily loves you, you stubborn old Bull, and I know you love her! I couldn't be prouder of her, of you, or of your taste in women – but you've gotta help her __**now**__, or she'll die!"_

"_But I'm out of power!"_ Carter spat, _"I can't even move my fingers on my real body, much less stand up!"_

"_You're never out of power, Carter Benjamin Sisko; Ada, Jason and I are always with you, as long as you keep fighting for what's right! That's the best way to honour us!" _Shantelle shot back.

"_You also have the strength of the Magna Defender; your power is identical to my own, even if only in design for now." _the former ally to the Galaxy Rangers added calmly_, "Reach inside and find that strength, for your greatest missions lie just ahead. Your spirit comes from within as much as without – and for that reason, it shall last forever. Never give up, Carter."_

"_Please, old friend... I know you've endured worse than this; I've seen it! Keep fighting! Do it for your friends... for __**Lily**__." _Shantelle beseeched.

"_As you wish," _Carter smiled tiredly under his helmet. _"Thank you."_

"_We will meet again, Bull Ranger," _the first Bull-themed 'Ranger' replied.

"_Goodbye. Carter. And good luck." _Shantelle added.

"_You can do it." _Magna Defender finished.

The duo then vanished from Carter's sight along with his mindscape.

Opening his eyes from the rather vivid trip, Carter saw that the HUD in his visor was damaged; indeed, the visor itself was cracked and his armour was smoking, as if he'd flown through Earth's atmosphere using his Ranger rig. Thankfully, no swamp water had seeped through the cracks.

"_Ouch... she got me good – real good; I can feel the damage the Power's fixing. I bet Magna Defender himself felt like this in the end..."_ Carter ground his teeth, _"But Jellica hasn't beaten me – not even close! So it's time to do what I came here to do."_

Damaged but never beaten, the Bull Ranger clenched a fist and slowly stood up as Jellica raised her staff; much to the others' shock the Bull ended up moving in surprising synchronization with Dai Shi as the duo blocked her attack on Camille and Lily, pushing the Sea Overlord back. As Dai Shi pushed her further away and Camille eventually went after them both, Carter turned towards a confused Lily.

"You all right?" the Bull Ranger asked, only to cringe at Lily's watery glare – which was directed at **him.**

"I thought you were dead, you idiot!" Lily screamed, "You went down after taking a beating from Jellica and didn't get up! I don't even know how your morph held; your armour's slagged!"

"I know, Lil; I know... and it's a very long story," Carter grimaced, "I'll explain later. Right now we've gotta free the guys from this crap!"

* * *

_(Monday, May 19__th__ 2008, 1000 PM)_

"_Jellica, Camille, Bai Lai and Carden; hell, Lily and I tag-teamed Bai Lai and __**then**__ Carden, and we only beat Carden through that teamwork__**.**__ Holy crow, what a crazy few days... __**OH, SHIT IN BLOODY HELL'S FIRE**__!" _Carter froze as he exited the kitchen to see Lily scrubbing a table. What caused his thoughts to come to a screaming halt was a sight the Bull Ranger hoped he wouldn't see after his arrival in the Rangers' section of the multiverse; Lily's eyes ice-blue, unleashing a stream of silent tears. As Theo came up behind him with a look of curiosity, Carter threw the shorter fighter a look – the Blue Ranger read the unspoken message loud and clear.

"_Leave it to me, Theo." _Carter ordered, _"You three handled Jellica as best you could, even with my help – please, let me handle this myself."_

"_Of course, Carter – she's your girl. Go for it."_ Theo nodded before sitting on the stairs to the loft.

"Been scrubbing that table long, Lily?" Carter smiled as he entered the restaurant proper, "If memory serves me, JKP closed up fifteen minutes ago – if you've been cleaning it that long even Theo will be happy."

Defeated in combat, humiliated by Jellica and Camille – and thus unwilling to face the man she now knew she loved – Lily gathered her cleaning supplies.

"Hey," Carter added as his girlfriend headed towards the island behind the cash register, "Why don't you take a break for a while; come upstairs, shoot some hoops with me? Or maybe go for another spar? I think Casey and I are about ready to face you and your Cheetah Jabs again." He added wryly.

"No thanks," Lily replied tonelessly, "You'll just beat me anyway." As she headed to another table, Carter grabbed her arm and spun her towards him, black orbs meeting bright blue.

"All right, listen – I admit, I'm not Theo; I haven't known you for years on end, Lily, only two months. But it's pretty clear what's bugging you," he interjected.

"How'd you figure that out?" Lily spat heatedly, "Remembered that from the **show**? You could've stopped this whole thing, you know!"

"No, I didn't remember – and I couldn't stop this, Lil; not without blowing our cover," Carter replied calmly, "It's clear what's bugging you because I saw what happened, on **and** off the battlefield. Camille came to JKP in disguise, you didn't know it was her at the time, so you helped her – she revived Jellica as a result, and the jellyfish kicked our butts. So what? Like you said out there, we'll get them next time."

"'So what'...?" Lily echoed in shock, yanking her arm from Carter's grip, "'So what?' She **played me**, Carter – she totally played me!"

"It may feel that way, but it's not a big deal – you should never feel bad about reaching out to someone!" Carter retorted, "You reached out to me two months ago when I first arrived; I was a complete stranger to you, and look where we are now!"

"And I reached out to Camille today, which made our battle even harder! She revived Jellica the **Sea Overlord**, Carter – you were there; she tied me up and drained my Ranger powers, and she and Camille almost **killed** me even with you backing me up!" Lily shot back, her voice choking with tears near the end, "And you nearly **died**, but still protected all of us...! Maybe Camille's right; maybe I am a fool for always seeing the bright side of things! And maybe I don't belong with any guy, much less you!"

"Okay, Lily, stop right there," Carter ordered, pulling Lily into a tight hug as she broke down in sobs, "Camille's not right – she's the **bad guy**, remember? You told me two days ago, after some of Camille's taunting actually **stuck** during her last random attack, that you can't listen to the bad guy; that doing so is just playing right into the enemy's hands!"

"But...!"

"And second," Carter continued, heedless of Lily's objection, "You're no fool – Casey, Theo and I don't suffer fools... and I'm not in love with a fool, Lily Chilman; I'm in love with **you**."

"But I don't deserve it...!" Lily whimpered.

"You **do** deserve it, Lil; believe me. Nobody's perfect. Besides – you really think I'm that great? Think again; I was mostly alone for 21 years before that portal brought us together, and it wasn't for lack of trying," Carter added, "I probably hurt as many people as I helped back home; likely more. You're all my first true friends in years. I'm no hero, Lily; I'm no god... I sure as hell don't deserve whatever pedestal you've put me on. Under all the strength, smarts and willpower I'm just a man who's lucky enough to know and love the most beautiful woman in Ocean Bluff."

"Carter...?" Lily gasped, pulling out of his arms, eyes wide with shock. _"He really thinks me beautiful... even right now; even after today?"_

"You remember, after Pangolin?" he continued, "How you brought me out of that funk? You told me that Shantelle was proud of me; that **you **were proud of me."

"I... I remember..." Lily sniffled; the events Carter was speaking of felt like another lifetime ago in the wake of the pain she was feeling at present.

"Well, let me tell you something, Lily –** I** am proud of **you**. And if Shantelle were here, she'd feel the same for how hard you fought today. Hell, she **is** proud of you; I saw her when Jellica's attack sent me reeling," Carter smiled, "She's amazed at how much tail you've kicked since becoming a Ranger, and she's proud you're dating me – same as I am. I told you that your strength was one reason I fell for you; well, your heart's another reason."

"My heart...?" Lily asked, "What do you mean?"

"Your passion for life; your ability to see the bright side of things, your optimism... you have **no idea** how much we all love that about you – how much **I **love that about you," Carter admitted, "I mean, yeah, I preach optimism every now and then – but you, Lily... you don't just preach it; you **believe** it. Don't change that – please, not now; not ever! You're perfect as you've always been; not what Camille and Jellica's manipulations are making you!"

Lily looked up at him with a tearstained gaze.

"I'm **begging** you, don't be like this – please, be the Lily I know and love." Carter pleaded. As Lily wilted in front of him, sagging into a chair, Carter bowed his head, shutting his eyes and clenching his fists in an effort not to cry himself; it appeared that the mind games Camille and Jellica had played on Lily had utterly destroyed her spirit, despite her friends' best efforts to stop it.

"_I guess that's it, then. Jellica has won this round... and all our survival cost us was our team's heart." _Carter's jaw went taut as he moved to walk away; to tell Theo that he'd taken a failed shot at helping his girl... that it seemed Lily's choice of future boyfriend was annoyingly constant even with Carter's presence... when he heard Lily sob, destroying that illusion forever.

"Carter, wait!"

The Bull Ranger stopped, but didn't turn back even as his heart was slowly shattering.

"You... really love that about me?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"I do – but more relevantly, I love **you**, Lily; the strong woman who fights strong Rinshi beasts solo, pulls bitter men like Phant and me from their seclusion and sees the light in even the blackest darkness, all while making awesome pizzas and looking more beautiful than any model on the face of the Earth." Carter answered passionately, turning towards the tear-stricken Yellow Ranger, "I love you, Lily Chilman; always and forever with all my heart and soul. Even if it's not romantic, the others love you too. And nothing **anyone **says or does will change that."

And with that admission from her boyfriend, Lily broke down again and tackled Carter in a fierce hug.

"Camille's talking garbage, Lily – you're beautiful just the way you are. Never forget that," he murmured in Lily's ear, hugging her and gently drawing circles in her back with his left hand.

"I promise... I won't forget, Carter..." Lily hiccuped as she looked up at her boyfriend with a tearstained smile and bloodshot eyes.

"Welcome back, Lovely Lily." Carter smiled, gently caressing Lily's cheeks with his right thumb in an effort to dry her tears, "For the record, Camille's the one missing out – she's got no friends, after all, assuming the evil monsters she's with aren't exactly party animals. Theo's words, not mine," he added as Lily giggled softly.

"I'll keep that in mind, Carter... but I've got to tell you something first." Lily gulped, "I love you... I'm **in love** with you."

"What... for real, Lil; you're not just saying that?" Carter's expression was priceless – pure naked shock was written all over his face.

"For real," Lily replied, pulling away slightly, "When Camille almost attacked me earlier... before she hesitated, it was as if-"

"Your life flashed before your eyes?" Carter asked. Lily nodded.

"Sort of... but it wasn't my whole life at first; at the start, it was only every moment between you and I since you came here," she blushed, "You saving my yellow tail when we met, obviously, but little things too; your smile, your laugh, the stubborn willpower you channel in your life, the way you always make time to help others... even some other big stuff, like the hit you took for me when we defended Master Phant's home, and how you tried to stop Jellica attacking the rest of us today... do you even know what you **do** to me, Carter, with actions like that!? You've become so important to me so quickly that if I have to die tomorrow, the last thing I want to see is your face – and honestly, that scares the hell out of me." Lily's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile as her heart fluttered at the memories.

"I feel the same about you, Lily; your passion and strength make me feel like never before," Carter's smile was small, but no less radiant, "Just promise me one thing, Beautiful."

"Name it."

"If Camille – or anyone, including me – makes you feel like that again, then don't bottle it up; vent! Punch something, throw that basketball, dance, scream at me, whatever; as long as you don't clean the same table for 15 minutes," Carter grinned, "I don't think RJ's cleaning supplies can take it."

Lily couldn't help but laugh at the weak joke; Carter joined in after a moment.

"Carter, you're the best," she grinned after the laughter subsided. Kissing her boyfriend chastely on the lips (she was reasonably certain RJ and the others were in earshot) Lily knew everything would be okay. As she pulled back and placed an arm around Carter's waist, RJ entered the restaurant.

"Presenting my latest and greatest creation – the Tropical Tofu Terrific... ness..." RJ frowned, "Okay, the name needs work – but the pizza is awesome!"

"I'm so hungry," Casey groaned as he and Theo entered the restaurant from another doorway.

"There's a shocker," Lily giggled.

"No kidding, man; hell, I thought I ate a lot!" Carter chuckled.

"Eat up, Rangers – you'll need your strength. Jarrod has a new master, which means a lot more trouble for us." RJ interjected.

"RJ, don't be such a downer!" Theo retorted.

"Yeah, Boss-Wolf; no 'glass-half-empty' crap," Carter grinned, "We're a team – all five of us. As long as we have each other, no one can break that!"

"Here's to the Rangers," Lily smiled, picking up a slice of pizza.

"To the Rangers!" the others chorused, raising their slices in a toast. Carter and Lily shared a look and a smile; indeed, the Bull Ranger was right, and in more ways than one.

They would be just fine.

* * *

_(Later that night, in Carter's room)_

"Carter?" Lily whispered, clutching her stuffed cheetah in her left arm, "Are you still up?"

Soft, deep snoring came from Carter's bed; Lily had to cringe at the noise.

"_Good grief, __**dad **__snores quieter than that! Hell, Ronny snores quieter – and her snoring sounds just like an 18-wheeler! Good thing RJ's loft has soundproofed walls and doors..."_ As she came back from her thoughts, though, Lily noticed the snoring had stopped.

"Carter?" Lily murmured. Placing a hand on the broad-shouldered Green Ranger's (thankfully visible) right arm in an effort to find a pulse, Lily flinched as Carter suddenly turned over and faced her, eyes open and a wry grin on his face.

"Hi, Lil," he breathed.

"Crazy fool – why do you always scare me like that?" Lily muttered playfully, "One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack; and I don't do dying."

"I wouldn't do that, Lil," Carter pouted wryly, "Not after today; things have been stressful enough for you as is. What's up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Lily admitted softly, "I wanted to see you."

"We battled together, played basketball together, argued when you were in that funk and shared slices of a tofu pizza, all in the course of a day – and you **still** can't get enough of me?" Carter grinned, "Wow, Lovely Lily; I'm flattered."

"Okay, Bull Boy, don't let your head swell **too** large, or it won't fit in your fancy helmet," Lily retorted with a grin of her own at Carter's lame effort at a pet name, "I just wanted to spend time with you without competition, Dai Shi or anything else getting in the way; this seemed like the best time."

"Then pop a squat, already," Carter grinned, sitting up as the light of a half-moon shone into his bedroom; said light revealed that he was currently shirtless, owing to the humid weather in the area, "Seriously – I've missed you too. It feels like we haven't just **relaxed** since our training with Master Phant."

"I don't know; the morning before Casey, Theo and I faced Slickagon..." Lily trailed off with a grin, hiding the blush that had spread over her face as she saw Carter's toned chest and abdomen. _"And I thought he was cute when we met!" _Lily mused.

"That was five days ago, Lil; far too long," the muscular martial artist smirked, "Since then we've dealt with Bai Lai and Carden, Theo got to train with Master Swoop, and Jellica fought both our Megazords at once – and won. She even beat the two of us... ugh."

"About that; are you okay?" Lily asked as Carter rubbed his right side, "After Jellica beat our Megazords; it was like she was... I don't know, torturing you. The Bull Pride took twice as long to fade out from her attacks as the Jungle Pride did, and even after that... she kept attacking you; nearly killed you."

"The Bull Pride's my Spirit Zord, Lil; remember that. I'm naturally stubborn, hence why I **am** the Bull and not... say, the Tiger," here Lily smirked at the understatement of the week, "And as for why she painted a target on my ass, I have a natural dislike for seafood," Carter admitted flatly, "I don't agree with it, it doesn't agree with me – and apparently neither do seafood-oriented animal spirits such as the jellyfish. Jellica hates me on principle just for **existing**, especially since my Spirit Zord and I survived her first attack/restraining effort on us; and I'm none too fond of her, for hurting you like she did."

"What about fish, then?" Lily asked, "Don't they count as seafood?"

"No way; I love and respect fish, both as animals and food! I was actually quite tempted to go with RJ on his little de-fishing expedition awhile back, but I was jury-rigging our Strike Riders then," Carter grinned, "Though I admit to having never eaten shark, and never planning to. One of the Masters – Finn, master of the Shark Spirit – would probably tear me to ribbons with his Shark Sabres if I even thought about it in his presence, much less went through with it."

"Makes sense," Lily admitted, "I'm sure if Master Phant saw someone ruthlessly hunting an Elephant he'd do everything possible to stop it."

"Indeed; there's honourable sport and then there's just killing," Carter replied, "It's a very grey area that we – as Rangers and as warriors – have to be careful to never cross and always defend."

"It's why you helped me against Bai Lai and then Carden, isn't it?" Lily asked. Carter nodded.

"Bai Lai hit you while you were down in canon; I have to assume Carden would do the same thing, given his fighting style. I have no respect at all for someone who hits an opponent when they're down." The Bull Ranger replied tersely, "Especially if they **brag** about it."

"I know... thanks," Lily smiled, tracing Carter's toned chest with a hand as he calmed; despite the chaos, the one thing that remained constant at JKP was the Rangers' training. Indeed, with two of them practicing two Masters' techniques and Carter practicing **three** (RJ's, Phant's and his former Sensei's) on top of his weightlifting, the Blue, Yellow and Bull Rangers were getting stronger than ever. As that thought hit Lily, she frowned.

"I'm worried about Casey," Lily murmured.

"Good thing I know you two are like siblings, or I'd be worried about you saying that," Carter joked, "What's wrong?"

"Well, on top of RJ's training, you and I are following Phant's techniques with the Jungle Mace," Lily explained, her fingers fluttering over Carter's torso, "Theo's following Swoop's technique with the Jungle Fans – and even you have your own training in techniques from Rising Sun Karate through your Bull Blade. You're showing the rest of us the basics of that and a physical workout regime – but aside from your training and RJ's..."

"Casey's got nothing else to fall back on right now," Carter finished, "With Dai Shi's army getting stronger, and since all I can **actually** teach worth a damn is the little Rising Sun taught me of Toso Kune Do..."

"He's going to be targeted by Dai Shi's goons a lot more," Lily worried, pulling her hand back, "And if he doesn't get more training, Dai Shi will probably find out, and then he'll target Casey more and more until he breaks under the pressure...!"

"Calm down, Lil," Carter grinned, placing a hand on his girlfriend's lips, "Geez, you can be so similar to Hermione sometimes it's scary!"

Lily blushed as he pulled his hand back; her lips were tingling.

"First off, Casey's the Red guy; in fifteen years of Rangers, the Red guy's always had a bigger target on him than the others – comes with the color. Second, Casey's tough; he's earned his place, so he'll be just fine even if I stopped teaching him my moves – and I won't stop," Carter smiled, "Remember, he's my unofficial brother too, and he's also the first guy to ever be given that status in my life; he's gotta be tough for **that**."

Lily giggled.

"True," she admitted, "I don't mean to doubt him; he's a great leader and an awesome friend. It's just..."

"We've got the weight of the world on our shoulders, Lil; I know," Carter replied, "But that's just it – we're a **team**, Lily. Our brother's not anymore alone then the rest of us. He's got all of us. Besides," a coy smile suddenly appeared on Carter's lips, "Casey's Master might show up sooner than you think."

"Oh, you smartass – I hate it when you do that!" Lily rolled her eyes and slapped Carter's shoulder.

"Hey, Temporal Prime Directive, Lil; I can only let you guys concretely know the life-or-death stuff immediately beforehand!" Carter and Lily shared a grin; the old joke had become a somewhat private one between the two of them, much to Theo and Casey's consternation.

"I never thanked you for helping me today," Lily murmured, "Or apologized for yelling at you."

"Your yelling at me today is forgiven already; I get why you did it, and if anything I should apologize for scaring you. As for thanks, you'll never have to thank me for backing you, Lil," Carter replied quietly, "You're my best friend, and I love you – that alone is reason enough, even without the Ranger battles."

Lily could do little more than smile and kiss Carter in response to his kindness.

"So," she breathed after pulling back, "You said earlier that you being knocked out today had... something of a long story attached – so what happened? We've got time now."

"Well," Carter explained, "You saw what happened; Jellica launched a powerful attack at the rest of us while we couldn't fight back, and I took it all. The entire attack was so powerful it overloaded my pain centers; I was still **conscious** after getting hit, but couldn't move – the pain was that intense. That attack, though, also had the effect of sending me to an obscure section of my mindscape."

"Your mindscape; what's that?" Lily asked.

"The place I go when I'm meditating; just like animal spirits, we've all got one," Carter grinned teasingly, "Those of us who can sit still long enough." Lily groaned.

"Okay, so I don't like meditation – really, Carter; can you blame me!?"

"Not really. You're a Cheetah to the core, Lil – fast reflexes, can't sit still..." Carter winked, "Anyway, Jellica's attack sent me to a part of my mindscape; a hillside where Shantelle and I originally met. Shantelle – and surprisingly, the Magna Defender – appeared to me, asking me to keep fighting. Shantelle told me she was proud of us, and Magna Defender told me that I've got his strength within me now. He also said I would see him again... and that's when I got up and blocked Jellica's strike against you."

"Alongside Dai Shi," Lily replied flatly, "Do you know how scary the thought of you teaming with **him **is?"

"About as scary as the thought of leaving you, Beautiful," Carter smiled faintly, "No worries, Lil – I'm not teaming with Dai Shi anytime soon. Now, Jarrod's another story – if he smartens up, fights Dai Shi and becomes a decent guy..."

"Hopefully he will," Lily grinned, interlacing her fingers with Carter's and raising their hands to eye-level as the couple's eyes locked, "But I like you on **my** team, Carter."

"Me too, Lily," Carter smiled, "I'll always be on your team, no matter what – you have my word."

Seconds later, the two cuddled under Carter's green-and-black sheets. Lily smiled as she recalled that they'd been in a similar position in her own room the night before Theo's training with Swoop.

"Are you going to train with Casey when his new Master arrives?" Lily asked.

"If it's who I think it is, then only if Casey asks – no way I'm pissing off **two** warriors I respect by butting in." Carter groaned.

"I'm sure he'll ask you; Casey considers you as much of a brother as you consider him," Lily grinned, "He'd be nuts to deprive you of that opportunity."

"And you wouldn't mind?" Carter retorted, "I'd be leaving you for at least two days."

"Of course I wouldn't mind," Lily shot back, "You've trained with my new Master, so now you'll get to train with Casey's. You're training with family, Carter – with people you love and respect unconditionally. I'd never keep you from that."

As the couple talked about their families, their subconscious minds noted the situation; the wheel had, in a way, come nearly full circle. But the fight wasn't over yet; indeed, it had just begun.


	5. Battle, Ghosts, Fears, Power

Disclaimer: All relevant disclaimers are in prior chapters.

A/N: This chapter will span the (now AU) events of "Ghost of a Chance" from the Rangers' perspective, starting after the fight against Mog – note, however, that none of the events I **haven't** touched on in canon will be ignored; indeed, some will be very important. You'll see how later. Furthermore, a... **problem** with the premise of "Ghost of a Chance" will be rectified; I never did like the lack of inspiration behind the initiation to Jungle Master Mode, so we'll take some elements from Gekiranger, add that and Carter to the episode, mix well and see what happens.

* * *

_**Jungle Fury, New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 5: Battle, Ghosts, Fears, Power**_

"_He who fights knows when to fight and when not to fight." – Travis Strong, "Radio Free Roscoe"_

"_Everyone is afraid of something – true courage comes from being able to face those fears." – Master Guin, "Power Rangers Jungle Fury"_

"_Life is wide, limitless. There is no border, no frontier." – Bruce Lee_

_

* * *

_

_(JKP, 1030 AM, Wednesday May 21__st__ 2008)_

"We are not afraid of **anything**!" Theo grinned.

"You said it, Theo!" Lily added.

"They set 'em up...!" Casey started.

"We knock 'em down!" Carter finished with a laugh.

"Knock what down?" Fran interjected, much to the Rangers' shock, "Where've you been – bowling?"

"Yup," Carter lied flawlessly, "Casey here bowled a turkey; we're very excited."

"You trumped me on that, bro;" Casey added, "**you** bowled a frog." Carter bowed his head in a show of humility; really, though, it was to hide his blush as Lily giggled.

"_Who knew such a normal sound could be so... __**cute**__?" _the Bull Ranger mused.

"I would appreciate it if someone would **inform** me when you're going on break." Fran interjected.

"Casey, Lily, Theo! Loft!" RJ barked.

"We're going on break!" the three primary Rangers chorused. Carter rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his friends' antics and stepped towards Fran.

"What do they do up there?" Fran muttered.

"It's a long story, Fran," Carter replied wryly, "When we've got time, we'll tell you – for now, just hold down the fort."

Fran nodded.

"Carter, you too; get over here!" RJ barked from inside the kitchen. Carter shot a thumbs-up at the kitchen door in acknowledgement.

"And Fran; thanks," Carter smiled, "We may not do the best job of showing it, but we do appreciate your help."

"No problem at all, Carter," Fran grinned at her friend as Carter headed to the loft.

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 1035 A.M.)_

"Did you see that battle, RJ? We cooked that frog!" Casey grinned.

"He didn't stand a chance against us!" Theo added.

"Yeah, when do we-"

"Get our Master Stripes?" Carter interjected, cutting off Lily's question as he entered the loft, "Please, Lil, you're smarter than this – you **all** are; don't even joke about the Master Tattoo! We're all a long ways off from getting that."

"What do you mean?" Casey asked.

"That frog guy was a lot like Toady – one of the Five Fingers of Poison, as I recall; so similar, in fact, that I think he was just cannon fodder at this point – or a 'catch-up monster', as one of the original Rangers called it." Carter explained, "Yeah, we beat him easily; that's the point of a catch-up monster. But Dai Shi is still out there and he's much stronger than Mog – the frog we just fought – could ever be."

"We're fearless fighting machines, though; unbeatable!" Casey retorted.

"Not quite," RJ chuckled, "Confidence is good – overconfidence is dangerous. It's time to go back to basics."

"**BASICS!?**" the three primary Rangers cried.

"But we've come so far!" Theo added.

"Maybe so," Carter replied, "But trust me – Will Smith once said that you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been. Kyoshi Frank at Rising Sun taught me the truth of that; you've gotta practice basics as much as the advanced stuff, or you'll just end up in battles you can't win. There was one week, shortly after I hit my Purple Belt, where I didn't practice basics; my Sensei – who I could usually hold my own against for at least five minutes after attaining Orange Belt – beat me soundly in ten seconds, every spar for about a week before I took the test for my Green."

"How'd you pass the test?" Casey asked, "You said you got your Green Belt shortly before coming here."

"I went back to basics," Carter smiled, "Checked for weaknesses in my opponent's style and used basics to exploit them."

"That said," RJ continued, "I want all of you to practice your stances." Carter and Lily were the only ones to move towards the mats below the loft kitchen at this order. Carter groaned as Theo – and to a lesser degree, Casey – looked at them with a mutinous glare.

"Guys, if I know the boss-wolf – and after almost three months, I think I know him pretty well," Carter grinned at RJ, who smiled stiffly back, "then **now** would be a very good time to follow his request."

"And I trust RJ and Carter – honestly, guys, I thought you did too," Lily added, "If they both say it's time to go back to basics, we'd be pretty dumb to ignore them, right?"

"Good point," Casey grimaced, "C'mon, Theo – let's get to work."

For the next 10 minutes, battle-cries were the order of the day as the four Rangers practiced their combat stances – RJ had to grin as a lower-toned variant of Tommy Oliver's battle cries came from Carter's lips.

"_Doc Oliver would be proud, seeing his moves being used... even if they're not technically __**his**__ moves, but still..."_ RJ shook his head; his speciality was Zen, not spatial-temporal mechanics. The Wolf Master blinked as Carter slipped and fell forwards onto the mat.

"Alright there, Carter!?" he barked.

"Oof... I'm good. This **was** a good idea, boss-wolf," Carter grinned faintly as he moved back into position, "I'm rusty as hell at my stances." The Bull Ranger then began his stance training again, his morphers shining on his wrists as he moved. Suddenly, the alarm went off.

"Face me, Power Rangers... if you dare." Jarrod's voice came from the monitors.

"He wants a fight, we'll give him one." Casey replied.

"Whoa," RJ's eyes narrowed in concern, "There's something different about Jarrod; sensors are off the charts."

"He's been training hard," Carter noted, eyeing the sensor readings, "His power's... at least doubled, I'd say. And those bugs are Shadow Guards, summoned by the Overlords – they won't be pushovers either."

"Don't worry, you two – we're not afraid of them." Casey retorted.

"We're not afraid of anything." Theo added.

"Never said we were," Carter shot back wryly, "Because we're not – but we need to be cautious; not careless, but not too careful either. Speaking as someone who's seen sixteen years of this, it's never a good omen when the main villain comes out to fight – but that doesn't mean this battle won't be fun."

"Let's do it!" Lily barked; Carter grinned at his girlfriend's enthusiasm as he followed her and the others, bouncing off the pads lying about the walls before exiting through the hatches higher up.

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff Foothills, 11 AM)_

"Jarrod," Casey bellowed as the four Rangers entered the makeshift battlefield, "You and your buddies are going down!"

"I highly doubt that – matter of fact, I doubted you would show up at all," Dai Shi's vessel retorted before removing his massive cape, flipping down the hill and morphing into the Black Lion Warrior halfway down. As the Rangers assumed their stances, the Warrior fired a powerful energy blast at them, sending them flying.

"On your feet, Rangers," Dai Shi growled.

"If you insist," Carter retorted, moving to his feet and standing to the side of the others as they stood in a triangle, placing their Solar Morphers on their faces and hitting the morph switch. Carter, meanwhile, flicked his left wrist before moving into a stance similar to Finn's – revealing the connecting rings that would let him fuse his morphers together.

"Ready?" Casey asked.

"Ready!" the others replied, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

As the three primary Rangers 'danced', Carter moved his arms so he could easily cross his wrists – and where four ordinary young adults once stood, the Red, Blue, Yellow and Green Jungle Fury Rangers appeared.

"With the Strength of a Tiger; Red Ranger!"

"With the Speed of a Cheetah; Yellow Ranger!"

"With the Stealth of a Jaguar; Blue Ranger!"

"With the Will of a Bull; Bull Ranger!"

"We summon the animal spirits from within – Power Rangers Jungle Fury!" the four chorused, before assuming their stances and moving to attack Dai Shi and his Shadow Guards. Unfortunately, the Guards themselves chose that moment to become 'active' and blocked Casey and Theo's sprint towards Dai Shi.

"Ah, man; not again!" Carter lamented as he realized he and Lily were the only ones left to attack Dai Shi; unfortunately, Dai Shi's attention was wholly focused on Lily.

"The end is near, Yellow Ranger!" Dai Shi snarled.

"_Shit." _Carter mused as he had to briefly defend himself against the Black Shadow Guard. After a short bout between Lily and Dai Shi, during which the Jungle Mace proved horribly ineffective and her Cheetah Jabs worthless, Lily was in a grapple with the Black Lion Warrior – and losing **horribly**.

"Your Cheetah is no match for my Lion – you are weak and will be **destroyed!"** Dai Shi growled as he pushed Lily to her knees. Carter seethed inwardly; he couldn't escape the Black Shadow Guard to help at all.

"You have some major ego issues," Lily groaned, jump-kicking Dai Shi away before summoning her Cheetah Spirit. Unfortunately, Dai Shi sliced through that attack as easily as Jellica had defeated Carter's attack two days prior – and after a brief fistfight between the Lion Warrior and Lily... Lily was beaten.

"LILY!" Casey and Carter roared as the Yellow Ranger was sent flying in an explosion of dark energy.

"No!" Theo gasped, kicking his opponent away before facing Dai Shi himself. Unfortunately, the Jungle Fans and Swoop Technique proved as ineffective as the Jungle Mace and Cheetah Jabs did, and Theo was defeated even faster than Lily had been moments before. Carter growled, kicking away the opponent that Theo had ditched, as Dai Shi powered up an energy attack to finish the Blue Ranger off.

"Not this time, jackass!" the Bull Ranger roared, raising his Bull Blaster and firing at Dai Shi's shoulder – the blast caused Dai Shi to flinch just enough that his own attack missed Theo by a slim margin.

"**YOU!**" the Lion Warrior roared, turning towards Carter, "Camille and Jellica told me of you, Bull Ranger – a pest from another universe; a weak excuse for a human who thinks he can battle forces he does not understand!"

"Their assessment was flawed, Dai Shi; Camille, Jellica, and even **you** are pests. I am the Ranger who's going to take you to the cleaners!" Carter retorted, replacing the Blaster at his hip and unsheathing the Bull Blade, "Now why don't you show some respect, and fight an opponent who can defend himself? Certainly Master Mao taught you **that** much."

"Mao knew **nothing!** As for your 'request', I'll do better than that," Dai Shi retorted, "I'll destroy you instead!"

Carter sprinted towards the Lion Warrior, his Bull Blade shining a hauntingly familiar green; indeed, if the Bull Ranger had bothered to notice, the energy coursing over his weapon was the same emerald tint as Tommy Oliver's **original** Green Ranger powers, as opposed to the olive drab of Carter's color.

As she defended herself against the White Shadow Guard, Lily noticed the color disparity and came to a shocking realization. Carter Sisko was **angry.**

"_Dai Shi doesn't know what he's dealing with," _she mused, _"Here's hoping that turns the tide."_

Indeed, in the beginning of their bout it did – the Bull Ranger was an anomaly that Dai Shi didn't directly know of until today, and thus could never have prepared for; between that and Carter's well-channelled anger over Dai Shi's attack on Lily the villain had a fair amount of trouble fighting him, especially as the newest member of the Jungle Fury team swapped between every fighting style he knew as fluidly as water. Even as Dai Shi blocked Carter's blade strikes, the Bull Ranger switched from the Blade to the Jungle Mace; Dai Shi grabbed the flail end of the Mace and yanked Carter forward, but the Bull Ranger released the Mace entirely – letting the handle fly into Dai Shi's helmet – gripped his Blaster and shot from the hip at the Lion Warrior in one fluid motion. When Dai Shi was sent stumbling by the energy blast, dropping the Mace, Carter sent his Bull Spirit at his opponent in a blaze of emerald fire before sprinting towards him with Bull Blade drawn... unfortunately, that's when it all went wrong.

Carter's Bull spirit, still weakened from the battle against Jellica, was easily as large as Jarrod's Lion at this point – but in terms of pure power the Bull wasn't even close at present, leaving the Lion Warrior more than able to destroy it. While the explosion of energy that resulted **should** have served as the perfect flare, the Lion Warrior's darkly tinted helmet compensated for the extra light, allowing him to see and block every strike from the Bull Blade. Nothing Carter did worked afterwards; the Mace couldn't be used at point-blank range, Dai Shi had the Bull Blade in his grasp, and even the Bull Blaster at full power wasn't strong enough once Carter got to use it; Dai Shi simply grabbed the blast in one hand and slammed it right into the Bull Ranger's chest.

"Bull's-eye..." Dai Shi snarled darkly as Carter stumbled backwards, holding his chest where the attack hit. Falling to a knee, the Bull Ranger pulled his hand back, noting the fact that his suit's chest-plate was scorching hot from the attack, as was the wrist gauntlet over his left hand.

"_More burn scars for the collection."_ Carter gnashed his teeth in anger, _"__**Wonderful.**__"_

"You haven't beaten me yet!" Carter roared, getting to his feet and sheathing his Blade, "With the Spirit of the Bull – Strike Rider!"

With that cry, a dark green, stronger armoured, bull-themed variant of Casey's Strike Rider appeared in the area, speeding towards Carter from behind; indeed, the bike itself was closer to a green variant of the Red Capsular Cycle of a decade prior than the Red Strike Rider of the present. As Carter flipped backwards to land on his bike, his cape vanished.

"Strike Rider, high speed; attack mode!" Carter roared, putting his bike at full throttle; as the armour on the bike closed around the Bull Ranger and the bike itself drew closer to Dai Shi, the Lion Warrior simply jumped above the bike and fired a powerful blast at it, shattering the armour and sending the wreckage – and Carter – flying.

"**JARROD!!!"** Casey roared, stepping in front of the downed Bull Ranger.

"So, we meet again!" Jarrod/Dai Shi snarled.

"Yeah, and this time you're going down!" the Tiger Ranger retorted, "Master Mao trusted you – and you threw away everything he taught you!"

"Master Mao never understood the power!" the Lion Warrior shot back.

"Casey, be careful; the Shark Sabres are useless against him! Try a combination attack – your style, his gear!" Carter hissed through the pain.

"Won't be a problem," Casey growled, clenching a fist and summoning his Shark Sabres before attacking the Lion Warrior with a vengeance. When that failed, Casey tried his Strike Rider – only to fail as miserably as Carter had, landing in a heap next to the Bull Ranger.

"What's next?" Dai Shi snarled. As the Rangers regrouped, Carter powered up his Bull Blaster to full strength again while the three primary Rangers summoned the Claw Cannon. Dai Shi's Shadow Guards moved to defend him as the Rangers aimed their weapons.

"Oh, please – stand aside!" The Lion Warrior barked, pushing his Guards to the sides with his hands.

"Powered by Animal Spirits – **FIRE!**" the four cried, firing the Claw Cannon and Bull Blaster. Much to their surprise, though, Dai Shi simply raised a hand and blocked the combined energy blast.

"You've gotta be kidding me – not even a **scratch**!?" Carter gaped.

"As I said, I am more powerful now than you could possibly imagine!" Dai Shi snarled, summoning his own Lion Spirit and blasting the foursome with it. In a flash of energy, they all demorphed – even the Bull Spirit's muscle and will were no match for Dai Shi's new strength.

"Victory!" the Lion Warrior intoned, abandoning his armour in favour of destroying the Rangers in person. However, before he could get an attack off, a howl was heard – and RJ sent Jarrod stumbling back with a series of kicks.

"RJ!?" the chosen three asked.

"Boss-Wolf – what...?" Carter gaped. _"Don't tell me..."_

"Why fight warriors," RJ grinned wolfishly, moving into his stance, "When you can fight... a Master?"

"Why indeed," Jarrod replied, "But your skills are no match for my power and you know it. Surrender yourself – and I will spare your students!"

"RJ, don't!" Lily pleaded.

"No!" Casey gasped.

Carter paled, _"The Cage Fight... the Werewolf... __**NO! **__I wanted to __**stop**__ this!"_

"We'll keep fighting, Boss-Wolf – you don't have to do this!" the Bull student added, shakily getting to his feet. RJ shook his head as the powerless Bull fell to one knee.

"You know what to do," the Wolf Master murmured before dropping his stance. As Dai Shi and his minions spirited RJ away, Carter stood next to his friends.

"We've gotta get back to base," he ground out, "Come up with some sort of plan."

* * *

_(JKP, 130 PM)_

"Wait, don't say a word – let me guess," Fran snarked, "'Sorry, Fran – we were on break **during** the lunch rush, and now we have to go to the loft while you finish cleaning up', hmm?"

"Yeah," Casey muttered dejectedly, "That's about right."

"Sorry, Fran," Lily added, "We'll... make it up to you."

"Hey, it's okay – don't sweat it," Fran replied, "I've already apologized to myself anyway."

Suddenly, JKP's most frequent customer/employee remembered something and sprinted towards the Rangers.

"Where's RJ?" Fran asked, "I haven't seen him... all afternoon."

"Boss-man's M.I.A., Fran," Carter answered quietly yet grimly as the primary Rangers headed to the loft, "Part of that long story I mentioned," Fran's eyes widened in shock behind her glasses at that admission.

"Don't worry," Carter added, fatigue clouding his voice, "We'll find him; it's just going to take a while."

"I'll handle things here, then; just let me know how it goes." Fran replied, "Good luck."

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 10 minutes later)_

"What if we... no, that wouldn't work..." Carter muttered while pacing back and forth, "We could... no, that power's not accessible yet. If we all... no, that won't work either; we **tried **that, and this isn't a team of six..." the Bull Ranger groaned, running his hand over his bald scalp, "Dammit!"

"Guess we're not Masters after all," Theo muttered.

"We **have** to save RJ," Lily replied passionately, "Whatever it takes."

"Yes, I know – but without a Master, how can we learn to defeat Jarrod?" Theo asked, "He's super-evil now!"

"What do you think RJ meant when he said 'you know what to do'?" Lily questioned, "Carter?"

"'You don't know where you're going 'til you know where you've been,'" Carter quoted.

"Where you've been?" Theo asked.

"Yes... yes, that's it – where we've been!" Casey realized, "We do exactly what RJ and Carter have told us to since Mog; we go to where we've been. Back to basics, all the way back to the beginning."

"To the Forbidden Room at the Temple!" Lily realized, "Of course!"

"Yeah, I'm all for it – but if memory serves, the Room is empty." Theo noted, "I don't see how that can help us."

"It's empty, yes," Carter replied, "But isn't there a giant carving behind where Dai Shi's box was standing? I've never seen the whole thing myself – the show only revealed bits and pieces – but there might be something on it, some clue or puzzle that'll help us find a way to save RJ."

"We have to try that," Casey added, "Short of finding other Power Rangers... it may be our only hope."

* * *

_(Pai Zhua Temple, Forbidden Room, one hour later)_

As the four Rangers entered the Forbidden Room, each holding a lantern, Lily gasped in fright.

"Spiders...!" Lily whimpered, seeing the arachnids crawling all over the box that was once Dai Shi's jail cell.

"It's all right, Lil," Carter soothed, placing his vacant hand on Lily's shoulder, "I'm right here; no spiders will hurt you on my watch."

"Check around!" Casey barked, "There must be something that can help."

"Guys, look!" Lily gasped, pointing to a section of carving on the Room's back wall, "That must be Master Phant in his Animal Form!"

"And there's Master Swoop!" Theo noted, finding a drawing of the Bat Master's animal form further down.

"And Master Finn," Casey grinned at the stone rendition of his second Master's animal form.

"Who're these guys, though?" Carter squinted at another section of the wall, "A red gorilla, a blue antelope, a yellow penguin... and a black longhorn bull? Is that the Magna Defender?"

"Those are four of the other Pai Zhua Masters." A disembodied voice replied.

"Master Mao!" Lily grinned as she recognized the voice. Carter suddenly stood ramrod straight next to her, bowing stiffly alongside the others as their former kung fu master appeared.

"Stand at ease, Mr. Sisko," Mao smiled, noting Carter's rigid stance, "You are now Pai Zhua, and a Power Ranger; your Ranger status is a symbol of worth in itself, and even without it the temple would not have admitted you if you were unworthy. You are among friends here."

Carter sighed in relief, muscles relaxing as he smiled. "Please, Master Mao, call me Carter; Mr. Sisko makes me look for my Grandpa Ben. The only relative of mine who actually gave two shits about me," He added at the looks of confusion from the other Rangers.

Mao chuckled.

"How can we find these other masters?" Theo asked, "RJ's been captured and we need more training."

"Yes, I know," Mao replied, "But these Masters cannot be found. They were destroyed in a great battle many years ago, against what was then the universe's most deadly force."

"Astronema's invasion of Earth," Carter noted, "It hit here too?"

"The monsters and foot soldiers of the era of Zordon attacked the entire planet, Mr. Sisko; indeed, the entire known universe. Nowhere in four galaxies was safe; Pai Zhua was affected just as much as the Ninja Academies and nearly every other past – or future – base of the Power Rangers," Mao replied, "The seven Pai Zhua Masters of that time – Finn, Phant, Swoop, Rilla, Guin, Lope and myself – defended this Temple against all comers alongside our most senior students, with Guin, Rilla and Lope giving their very **lives** to the effort... until Zordon's sacrifice saved us all."

"I remember," Carter nodded solemnly; indeed, the Countdown to Destruction was **very** vividly wedged in his mind, "So Guin, Rilla and Lope are in the Spirit World now – just like you, Zordon, and every other fallen force of good?"

"Yes, Carter," Mao replied, "Your path along the Pai Zhua path is there also, as is **your **second Master."

"Can you take us there?" Casey asked, "We have to save RJ."

"No one has ever returned from that realm," Mao retorted, "It's a place unlike anything you've ever seen!"

"Master, please – we can do this!" Casey replied, "We'll find a way back!"

"It's too risky," Mao replied, "I'm sorry – the answer's no."

"But sir, you just said that-!" Carter gaped.

"I said **NO!"** Mao boomed.

"Please!" Lily begged, "You have to take us!"

"It's our only hope!" Theo added.

"Master, we can do this!" Casey continued, "You trained us and RJ picked up where you left off! We won't let you down!"

"And you, Mr. Sisko?" Mao asked, noting the Bull Ranger's uncharacteristic silence.

"I won't let you down either, sir," Carter replied, "You may not have trained me, but RJ has – and even without that, he's done more for me than anyone could ever realize. Whatever the risks, I've got to do this – for him. And for them," Carter nodded towards Casey, Lily and Theo, "They're all I have left."

"Please!" Casey beseeched as Mao smiled stiffly towards the Bull Ranger, "We're not afraid!"

"Once I open the door," Mao replied, turning back to the Red Ranger, "You will be."

The Rangers exchanged looks with each other; the Chosen Three noted as Mao opened a portal to the Spirit World (and vanished) that Carter's expression suddenly looked as if it could have been chiselled from rock.

"There's no turning back now!" Lily noted.

"Let's do it, then!" Carter retorted. The four stepped into the blue-tinted portal, which vanished as soon as they entered.

* * *

_(Spirit World, time unknown)_

"Okay, this is the part where I wish I had a parachute!" Carter grimaced, spinning through the tunnel as much as any of the others. _"Thank god I don't get seasick...!"_ "OOF!"

The four landed in what appeared to be a forest that was coloured... pink.

"Yay," Carter deadpanned as he looked at the ground, "Pepto-Bismol."

"Funny, Carter," Lily smirked, "Now I love you and all, but would you please get up? I swear your arm's like a tree trunk right now."

"Ha-ha," Carter snarked, standing up and pulling Lily to her feet.

"Not exactly Hawaii," Theo noted.

"Or Vancouver," Carter added nostalgically.

"It's a netherworld of ghosts and spirits," Lily countered, "What were you expecting; palm trees and hula girls?" Carter chuckled at his girlfriend's sarcasm.

"Hey, just saying – this place is Pepto-Bismol **pink**!" he snarked, "If Shantelle were here – or if this team had a Pink Ranger – she'd probably hurl at the insultingly excessive amount of the color!"

"Guys," Casey objected, "let's get serious here; RJ's counting on us!"

Suddenly, the four heard footsteps from four separate points – and through the fog that surrounded them, two men, a woman and an armoured warrior holding a black variant of Carter's sword appeared from those points.

"Magna Defender," Carter muttered, eyeing the armoured warrior warily. Indeed, he was standing straight in front of the Bull Ranger, his armour as pristine as ever – and he appeared to have painted the metaphorical target on Carter. As the four Masters sprinted towards the Rangers, the four students assumed their stances... and prepared for the battle of their lives. Slowly, however, the Rangers were defeated – though Carter did manage to deprive Magna Defender of his weapon for a brief time.

"You should not have come here," the black knight noted, picking up his fallen sword.

"What are you on about...?" Carter gasped, "We had no choice!"

"Ah," Master Rilla noted, "These must be our new students."

"These three are Masters Rilla, Lope, and Guin," Magna Defender pointed to each Master with his sword as he said their name, "And I am the Magna Defender – known as Master Horn to the Pai Zhua."

"Horn of the Bull... wonderful pun, that...!" Carter groaned; indeed, without his Ranger powers, the few strikes from Magna Defender (and his weapon) that had connected really **hurt.**

"With all due respect, we don't have much time," Casey replied.

"Patience," Master Rilla intoned calmly, "You must prove yourselves worthy before you can be rewarded."

"Let's do it, then; what kind of test do we need to pass?" Casey retorted.

"Monsters, ghouls, demons – we're not afraid of anything you throw in front of us." Theo added.

"Everyone fears something," Magna Defender noted, "True courage... true **heart**... comes from being able to face those fears and keep going in spite of their presence."

"_That's right...Shantelle taught me that_." Carter recalled, _"I wonder if she's here?"_

Master Guin pointed at Lily, "The Cheetah shall be the first to be tested."

Looking at her friends, Lily nodded to them one by one... but she stopped as she saw unreadable emotions in Carter's eyes.

"Go for it, love," Carter murmured calmly, smiling at his girlfriend, "You can do this." Lily smiled at Carter and blew him a kiss before turning to Master Guin.

"What do I need to do?" Lily asked.

"Close your eyes," Guin replied; as soon as Lily did that, the Yellow Ranger vanished much to the surprise of her two primary comrades. Carter, meanwhile, was gnashing his teeth – he had a feeling of what was to come... and he didn't like it.

* * *

Lily, meanwhile, opened her eyes... to find herself wearing a yellow tank top and black pants, and standing in the center of a maze full of cobwebs. The Cheetah student started gasping in fright as she saw several giant arachnids in her vicinity.

"Sp-p-spiders...!"

"Lily!" a voice bellowed; focusing through her panic as best she could, she identified the voice as Carter's.

"Carter – is that you!?" Lily asked, grimacing as her voice squeaked.

"Yeah – where are you, Lily!? I'm **stuck!**" Carter's bass voice echoed, "I can't reach my morphers... it feels like Spider-Man's gone and webbed me to a post that looks like Swiss cheese!"

"How ironic; I'm in... a corridor full of... s-spiders...!" Lily began trembling.

"Focus, Lil! You're the heart of the team, and we all know you're strong, but you've got to use your brain for this! You're in a maze; I can't get to you, so focus through the fear and find your way to me – before it's too late!" Carter retorted, audibly struggling against his restraints, "This pole is rotting!"

"I can't!" Lily whimpered as a massive spider crossed a web near the edge of her vision.

"Yes, you can, Lil; I know you can! I love you; you're the strongest person I know, and your heart is unmatched – but you've just got to use your mind! **Focus**, Lil – on my voice, not the spiders!" Carter shot back, "Please – get me outta here!"

"O-okay... just keep talking, Carter; I-I'm on my way!" Lily stuttered, stepping forward at what would normally be considered a tediously slow pace, "Tell me... about your home?"

"Not much to tell," Carter's voice echoed sadly, "Santa Clarita was awesome because it had Rising Sun Karate as a landmark – was even better that Jason Frank actually dropped in every now and then, too; the guy wasn't just the Kyoshi, he was like a father to me. He taught me so much about being human... But besides him, Ada, Shantelle and a few others there was very little that made it notable. Simi Valley, on the other hand, was a blast..."

* * *

"What happened to Lily?" Theo asked.

"She has gone on her journey," Master Lope replied, "Now it's time for you to go on yours."

"Good luck, T." Carter added, throwing his friend a thumbs-up, "You've got this – just follow your heart."

Theo nodded, closing his eyes and vanishing...

* * *

...Reappearing in a dark suit... on stage... in a theatre.

"_I'm on the stage!?"_ Theo gaped, _"Dammit...Okay, Theo, think; you've obviously gotta sing – I hate that part – you've heard a bunch of songs from Lily and Carter's dances... which ones do you know best?"_ the Blue Ranger mused, only half-listening to the objections from the crowd regarding his silence.

"Theo!" Lily yelled from the crowd, "Don't think so much – use your heart; just pick a song and go with it!"

"Come on, man!" Carter groaned, "You listen to our music all the time – yeah, it's a damn **long** playlist, but don't spend all day overthinking your possible choices; follow your heart and pick one!"

* * *

"Good luck, bro," Carter smiled stiffly at Casey, "Whatever happens, live well, and know we're always at your side."

"Back at ya, Carter," Casey grinned, crossing arms with the Bull Ranger before turning towards Master Rilla, "Guess I'm up – bring it on, Master!"

"Very well," Rilla replied, bowing as Casey closed his eyes and vanished. Carter shifted from foot to foot in a bout of nervousness; Casey's challenge was simple, but Carter's own challenge was **not** going to go well – he just knew it.

* * *

Opening his eyes, the Earth's newest Tiger Ranger found himself in...

"What... my old bedroom?" Casey blinked before breaking down in a brief fit of chuckles, "Okay, this is nuts – how is this meant to test me?"

The Tiger Ranger roamed the room, taking in the things that represented his childhood and teenage years – the Red Ranger had left for Pai Zhua as soon as he'd graduated high school. Suddenly, as he looked out the open window towards the city his room was facing, a strong wind blew through the room; while miraculously, nothing was thrown around, the Red Ranger noted a shaking in the closet.

"_Casey..." _a ghostly voice snarled. _"Casey...!"_

"No..." Casey breathed, turning towards the closet as the doors began recoiling from the pressure of the wind, "No!"

"_Use your head, Casey," _a low, calm voice retorted through the terror. Casey failed to hear it... at least at first.

* * *

"My turn now," Carter sighed, squaring his shoulders and stepping forward.

"What is wrong, young Bull?" Master Rilla asked, sensing despair and anger from the Bull Ranger, "You were eager to go on your journey but a moment ago."

"I know you know my situation; Shantelle's here – though I've no idea how – so she has to have told you. You must know, then, that I know what this journey is, Master Rilla; it's a quest, for each of us to control our greatest fears," Carter replied, "And I know what my greatest fears are – failure and solitude. I've lived those fears half my life; if you wish to put me through them again, just send me back to my universe and leave me be."

"We cannot do that," Master Lope replied, "Your friends need you – and I'm certain even your friend Shantelle, gone from your life over five years, could tell you that by now ripping you from their lives would be a disaster."

"My student would destroy us all if we did such a thing – and we're already dead." Guin noted.

"You will also find that your fears change as your situation does, Carter," Magna Defender added calmly, "Care to see for yourself?"

"I will follow my friends wherever they go to battle," Carter shot back, "Even the darkest pits of fear." The Bull Ranger took a deep, cleansing breath and exhaled softly, picturing the Rangers and Shantelle smiling at him in his mindscape. The resulting calmness washed over Carter, pushing his anxieties and anger to the backburner for the time being.

"Do your worst, Master Horn," Carter smirked towards Magna Defender.

"As you wish," the knight retorted calmly, "Close your eyes, my student, and face the next step on your journey."

And so, the Bull Ranger did just that...

* * *

...Only to find himself in his armour, on a battlefield.

"What the...?" the Bull Ranger raised his hands to eye level, only to find a shocking result – his forearms, from elbow to fingertip, were drenched in blood. Indeed, his entire suit was stained blood red, and unlike his teenage years, this wasn't blood from a nosebleed. It was the blood of death.

"Carter," a voice intoned from behind him; the horrified Bull Ranger turned, only to find Casey and Lily standing behind him, both decked out in their Ranger rigs. His mind froze in shock; his friends were still alive.

"Guys, you're all right!" Carter could only laugh in relief, "What happened? Why am I covered in blood?"

"You tapped into the dark powers of your Bull Spirit – of your very **nature,** Carter," Casey snarled, "We beat Dai Shi in battle and you betrayed us – how dare you!? We trusted you, let you into our home, and you killed all of the others in cold blood, in a fit of rage?! You almost killed us too, but we fought you off – and Fran's now dead, and JKP a burning wreck because of that fight!"

"What...?" Carter gaped. Indeed, taking a second look at the gore staining his arms the Bull Ranger saw burn scars and torn locks of wavy brown hair amidst pieces of Theo's jacket, RJ's chef uniform, and the Masters' weapons.

"_NO! I swore after I took up the martial arts never to let my anger control me... to never harm others except in self-defense! I gave my word of honour and I failed!"_ Carter gaped, _"Casey and Lily might still be alive, but they hate me now – and why shouldn't they? I've broken every important promise I ever made!"_

The Bull Ranger broke down in silent tears, turning away from his former friends as he shut his eyes tightly and shook with silent cries. He didn't see theLily he knew and loved kneeling right beside him in her training jerkin, nor did he see the concern in her blue eyes.

* * *

"So you mean to tell me..." Lily gulped while passing a tarantula easily the size of her fist, "that you really **were **mostly alone for your whole life?"

"I was," Carter's voice echoed, louder than before; it was clear to Lily she was getting closer to his prison, "You don't know, Lil... the emotional armour I developed over that time... all because nearly everyone I met in Santa Clarita despised me, assuming they weren't using that area as a point of transference. Only Kyoshi Frank gave a damn, as did Shantelle when she could visit. Simi Valley, though, had Shantelle and eventually Ada as well; the three of them together punched through the armour and kept me sane – just like you do every day, Lily."

"I wish I could have met them," Lily replied with a smile, slowly walking through a **slightly** cleaner area of the maze, "From what you tell me they'd make great friends; all of them, even Kyoshi Frank, would probably make great Rangers too." Suddenly, the Yellow Ranger turned a corner only to see a large web holding a tarantula in front of her, "**GAH**!"

"Lily! What took you so long?" Carter grinned tiredly. Lily looked towards him, focusing on his presence to calm her; the Bull Ranger looked battered, but alive. His wrists were bound behind a **massive** rotting wood pole, the top of which looked almost completely set to fall.

"Easy for you to say – you **like** spiders!" Lily shot back. She suddenly noticed another hand-sized tarantula on the web in front of her, and started hyperventilating again.

"Lily! C'mon, Beloved, stay with me...!" Carter soothed as his girlfriend made a visible effort not to tremble, "Focus; you're almost there!"

* * *

"Come on – sing or leave the stage!" the DJ bellowed.

"I'm **trying** to pick a song here!" Theo retorted, examining the playlist in his hand.

"I bet he can't sing at all!" the DJ addressed the crowd.

"You're right!" Theo replied, throwing down the playlist in a fit of annoyance, "I couldn't sing at my third grade recital and I can't sing now!"

The DJ laughed.

"Stop it – stop laughing at me!" The Blue Ranger barked.

"He's wrong, T – you **can **sing!" Lily retorted from in the booing crowd.

"Yeah, man; just pick a song! Follow your heart – you can do it!" Carter encouraged from next to her. Unfortunately, their encouragement fell on deaf ears.

* * *

"Something's in the closet... just like when I was a kid...!" Casey gasped, before remembering that Carter's voice had spoken in his head amidst the chaos. "Carter? Where are you, bro!?" The wind had stopped, but the doors to Casey's closet were still shaking.

"_I told you before, man; in heart we're __**always**__ together! Theo and Lily are here too!"_ Carter's voice answered, _"You've got strength and heart – everyone knows that! But use your brains, bro; what's really in the closet that can hurt you!?"_

"There shouldn't be anything..." Casey muttered, "But the doors are shaking – something's got to be causing that! Get out of here!" he added to the doors, pressing his hands to his ears in an effort to mute the sound.

* * *

"I've failed..." Carter muttered tonelessly, staring at his bloody hands even as his helmet vanished, letting his tears fall to the earth, "I promised Shantelle I would never hurt anyone unless it was in self-defense... swore that oath **on her grave**...! And I failed her and Lily... and the others...! How can I fight the bad guys if I'm a villain myself – make a positive difference... if I'm the bad guy!?"

"No," Lily retorted, placing a hand on Carter's shoulder; neither saw the blood vanish under Lily's hand at the same time as her helmet did, "No, you didn't fail us, Carter. Your promise isn't broken! This isn't their blood; Fran, Theo and RJ are still alive! Dai Shi hasn't won! And you're not the bad guy – you're the most honourable man I know!"

"But there's so much blood... all on my hands...!" Carter sobbed, "Get out of here, Lil, before you add to it!"

"I'm not leaving, Carter – I love **you**, no matter what!" Lily shot back, "Don't you get it!? If this blood was **really** on your hands, you wouldn't be crying over it – you'd laugh over our graves, like Dai Shi will if he beats us!" Oddly, as the manifestation of the Cheetah Ranger continued talking, the blood staining Carter's armour continued to vanish; his legs were no longer blood-soaked, nor was his abdomen. Instead, they were clad in what appeared to be Magna Defender's original armour, though it was impossible to tell for certain.

"But almost everyone I've ever known until meeting you have hated my guts from the onset, left within six months, or **died** within six months! Even Shantelle died, and Ada left – Kyoshi Frank was the only reason left to live in that world!" Carter spat, "My 'parents' aren't worthy of being on that list – they never gave a crap about me one way or another... it's all gotta mean **something**!"

"What it means," Lily growled at her boyfriend, "is that you've had a lifetime of bad luck before coming to Ocean Bluff – it does **not** mean that you're a bad person! I wouldn't be your girlfriend if you were the bad guy; the others wouldn't be your friends either! And you knew Shantelle and Ada best – would they have been your friends if you were evil?"

"No... No, they wouldn't have... hell; Shantelle and I were in love, even if we couldn't admit it to each other!" Carter sighed, "But I'm not normal, Lil."

"Please – normalcy's overrated. Besides, I can handle myself," Lily smiled, wiping Carter's tears with the back of her hand, "And we're **Rangers**, remember? Weird is part of the job – and I don't care what you say; you're not weird. I thought you were the Bull, Carter – willpower in spades and all that?"

"I am – I always will be. But I don't want that willpower to be the death of more people I love... or worse; the death of **you**, Lil," Carter retorted tiredly, blood only on his hands now, "It's cost me so much; losing Shantelle tore me to shreds – I was lucky to survive that... losing you would tear me apart completely."

"You won't lose me, Carter," Lily smiled, "You told me and Casey once that we're all together in our hearts, from here to forever." The Yellow Ranger then took Carter's right hand, now entirely bloodstain-free, and placed it over the left side of her chest, "Feel that?"

"A heartbeat...!" Carter gasped. Lily then placed her own hand on Carter's chest plate, right over his heart; the Bull Ranger's heartbeat sped up as he felt the warmth of Lily's hand on his chest, and he felt her heartbeat match his own.

"Our hearts are one, Carter – you're no more of a villain than I am," Lily smiled.

"I'm not the bad guy..." Carter breathed in shock, "I'm..."

"You're not alone, either," Lily kissed Carter on the corner of his mouth; the Bull Ranger inwardly reeled – if this was a hallucination, it was **damn** realistic, "If Dai Shi defeats us, Shantelle will be proud of you – you've kept your promise and never become the bad guy. Even if he doesn't, she'll still be proud – and if I'm wrong and she's not, then **I'll** always be proud of you. I love you, Carter, you stubborn bull of a man!"

Carter smiled, and took his hand off Lily's chest to caress her face.

"Thanks, Lily... I love you too." Carter smiled lovingly.

"Congratulations, young Bull," the Magna Defender interjected, stepping into view as Carter pulled away from Lily, "You passed the test."

"Passed?" Carter croaked as the manifestation of his girlfriend vanished.

"Yes," the Bull Master reiterated, "Your one weakness has been that you've let fear drive you in life – specifically, your fear of solitude has driven you to rely on internal strength. In the moment your fear of letting down your loved ones began overwhelming that strength, you let your loved ones support you."

"Until now... I've been mostly alone, and afraid of harming the few friends I've had; it's terrified me for over a decade," Carter noted, "Ada and Shantelle were my closest friends, but they still didn't know that secret... but Lily's been at my side through everything since I arrived – she's my **best** friend, she knows the secret and she's strong enough to tear me apart if I ever hurt her."

"That strength and knowledge has augmented your bond," Magna Defender noted with a hint of nostalgia, "A bond that gives you both strength unmeasured. Now you've seen some of the power that strength holds. You're now able to control your fear, Carter, and call on a universe of power – with help from your best friend. Don't let her go... don't **ever** let her go."

Carter smiled.

* * *

"_Gotta help Carter... c'mon, Lil, he faces his greatest fears for you every day! You can face this for him!"_ a part of Lily's mind noted.

"There are no spiders..." Lily muttered, "It's just one big web – no problem."

"That's it, Lil – focus!" Carter grinned as Lily moved like a sprinter, heading straight towards him and through several webs. Unfortunately, Lily tripped over webbing that had pooled on her feet, landing just short of Carter's position; the Yellow Ranger screamed in terror as she noticed a spider in her hair.

"Lil!" Carter barked, "Calm down – I love you; I'm here for you!"

"They're not... so bad," Lily noted, breathing heavily as she calmed down, "I can tell why you like them... they're kind of... cute."

"Just don't let one get doused in radiation and bite ya on the hand," Carter joked as the spider scampered away, "Or we may as well call you Spider-Woman. I mean, Cheetah Girl's one nickname too many for ya as is."

"Oh, shut up, Bull Boy," Lily shot back wryly as she stood up, dusted off the webbing and moved to unbind Carter... only to find no one there.

"You passed the test... Lily," Master Guin noted from the exit behind Lily.

"You knew I was afraid of spiders – and of losing Carter." Lily noted.

"And you still are." Guin replied, "Now, though, you know that you're able to control those fears, with a little help from your friends – specifically your best friend... your Beloved. His constant presence in your life and the love that you two share lets you tap into a new universe of power – one which will let you win the day no matter what enemy you face. Never let that – or him – go, Lily."

Lily grinned.

* * *

"He's not going to sing!" the DJ snorted derisively, "What a quitter!"

"Oh, yeah!?" Theo retorted, "Hey, DJ – start up song 5B!" _"Guys... this one's for you."_

Suddenly, the tune to "Breath", by Breaking Benjamin (1), blared through the speakers – and after a slightly shaky start, Theo sang the song perfectly, to a standing ovation from the crowd... but more importantly, from his friends. Lily was grinning broadly and applauding, while Carter was simply belting out a high-pitched whistle of appreciation.

"_I didn't think... just went with it...!" _Theo noted joyously, "Wow!"

"Well done, student," Master Lope noted, "You have passed your test; the test of Heart... of leaving mind and strength behind and simply following instinct."

"I just went with the first thing that came to me – no second-guessing, no hesitation...!" Theo breathed, "I did it!"

* * *

"No – this can't be happening!" Casey cried.

"_Focus, bro – __**FOCUS!!**__" _Carter's voice boomed in Casey's mind, _"Use your __**head**__, dammit – as any decent teacher will tell you, it's there for more than a place to put a hat or helmet! There's no logical reason this is happening!"_

"Wait a minute..." Casey breathed, "Maybe you're right... maybe there **is** no logical reason for why this is happening... so maybe it isn't happening."

Stumbling away from his bed, Casey opened the closet... only to find a forest behind the door.

"Whoa..."

Stepping through the threshold, Casey saw a flash of light... and then Master Rilla.

"Hello, Casey," Rilla smiled under his beard. Casey chuckled self-depreciatingly.

"I was never brave enough to open the door and look inside." He noted.

"Fear of the unknown can cause the imagination to create very frightening things regardless of one's age," Rilla replied, "I'm proud of you – and I'm sure your friends are as well."

Casey smiled and nodded, before his friends reappeared around him. After Theo shook Carter's hand in obvious gratitude, Casey and Lily tackled the Bull Student in a tag-team hug, knocking him to the ground; both Rangers were surprised as he hugged them back.

"You three are the best friends a guy could ever have." Carter chuckled.

"And you're the best brother a guy could ever have," Casey grinned as he and Lily pulled the Bull Ranger to his feet, "You backed me in my challenge; if you ever meet my sisters they'll **love** you for that."

"Sorry, bro; your sisters will have to fight over some other lucky bastard," Carter smirked, "**My** Beloved... is right here." The Bull Ranger kissed Lily softly, pulling back as she smiled. Unknown to him, Shantelle also smiled from within the Spirit World; the newest Ranger/Magna Defender – and her dearest friend – had finally let her go.

"You gave me strength in my greatest challenge." Lily blushed, looking up at Carter, "Thank you, Carter – I love you!"

"I love you too, Lily." Carter grinned, "Words cannot describe how much you helped me today."

"You both supported me during my challenge," Theo smiled at the Bull Ranger and Lily, "I'm honoured to call you my friends."

"Back at ya, Theo," Carter smiled, "I'm honoured to be one." Theo grinned.

"You have all passed our challenges," Magna Defender noted.

"Our animal spirits will be with you now," Lope added.

"But we have much more to teach you students." Rilla finished.

"We can't stay, sir," Carter interjected, "We've got to get back; help our Master, RJ."

"That is impossible," Guin retorted, "You must remain here for eternity."

"Eternity!?" Casey gaped. Guin raised her eyebrows at the Tiger Student's brash tone.

"It's not just our Master," Theo explained, "We are Pai Zhua Guardians, the Chosen Three – we have to protect the world from Dai Shi."

"Dai Shi has escaped!?" Guin asked. The Rangers nodded in response.

"What about him?" Lope nodded towards Carter.

"He's with us!" Lily replied forcefully, gripping Carter's arm tightly. The four Masters looked to each other, and then nodded.

"There are times even unbreakable rules can be... **bent,**" Lope conceded with obvious distaste, "You may return."

"Go back," Rilla ordered, "Knowing that your animal spirits will be stronger than you've ever imagined."

"Carter!" Magna Defender barked, stepping forward and unsheathing his sword, "Take my weapon – it will help in the battles ahead."

"My sword in black?" Carter blinked as he gripped the weapon, "But this is **yours**; it's how you gave Mike your powers. Wait a sec; you mean-!"

"Now you're getting it," the Bull Master replied. The grin on his face was **audible** as he added, "Henceforth, **you** will be the Magna Defender – this is **your** path to becoming a Pai Zhua Master. Your fear is of the darkness in your heart; know, however, that I once tapped the darkness in mine. Go back with your friends, Carter, knowing you need not fear the darkness any longer – with your discipline and self-control, it can never break you."

"Thank you – I won't let you down!" Carter grinned in return before stepping into formation with his friends. The four then vanished.

"Why'd you do that, Horn?" Guin asked, "Like he said, the last time you gave another human your weapon was for the latter half of Terra Venture's journey – and his link to the Grid was lost freeing slaves from another galaxy!"

"True; Mike did give his powers – and nearly his life – to free the slaves of the Lost Galaxy," Magna Defender replied, "But this is for an equally important cause, Guin; you know as well as I that if Dai Shi wins, **nowhere** will be safe. My powers augmenting Carter Sisko's will be a key to stopping such an apocalypse."

"And we thought Dai Shi had ego issues," Rilla joked. The four Masters chuckled.

* * *

"Rangers, hear me!" Dai Shi roared, "Finish the battle we started; or lose your beloved Master forever!"

The four Rangers sprinted up to the site of their last defeat, ready to turn the tables.

"We're ready for you!" Casey smirked.

"And this time, things are going to be a little different!" Lily added.

RJ grimaced as he struggled to break free of his bindings. Casey, Lily, Theo and Carter, on the other hand, prepared to fight again.

"Ready?" Casey asked.

"Ready!" Lily and Theo replied.

"Let's do it!" Carter smirked, holding Magna Defender's blade.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" the four roared, morphing into their Ranger rigs; Bull Ranger had Magna Defender's blade in his left hand.

"I see you didn't learn from last time," Dai Shi retorted, flipping down the hillside, discarding his cape and morphing into his Lion Warrior armour.

"We learned **plenty**," Carter smirked under his helmet as he twirled the older blade, "Enough to take you down."

"What you have or haven't learned is irrelevant – it all ends here, Rangers!" Dai Shi retorted, moving to the attack. The four Rangers met him halfway, Carter holding both his swords. Dai Shi surprisingly managed to hold off all four Rangers at once... at least for a time.

"Hey!" Casey bellowed, standing up from another fall and sprinting towards Dai Shi.

"We're not through yet!" Carter roared, running beside the Tiger Ranger while holding both blades. Dodging Dai Shi's attack, the duo summoned their animal spirits.

"Call to the Beast Inside – Free the Tiger!"

"Summon the Bull!" Carter added; as both spirits flew towards Dai Shi, he sliced through them one at a time – and then their associated Rangers, before summoning his Lion Spirit in mid-air and sending both Rangers into the ground.

"Damn, that **hurt!**" Carter grimaced.

"We're still not strong enough!" Theo groaned.

"Hey – remember what Master Rilla said!" Casey barked, "We've got more power than ever before!"

"Casey's right, guys; you want to see just how much we've got?" Carter bellowed, standing tall despite the pain of his wounds. Casey stood with him.

"Let's do it!" Lily replied.

"I'm with you!" Theo grinned. Both stood with their friends.

"Jungle Master Mode!" the four chorused. As the Claw Boosters appeared in the primary Rangers' hands, Carter's armour gained another holster for Magna Defender's weapon – and suddenly his morphers, trimmed with black, appeared on his wrist gauntlets.

"Claw Booster!" the primary Rangers cried.

"Magna Power!" Carter roared. As soon as he fused his morphers and the Boosters unlocked, jets appeared on the backs and sides of all four Ranger rigs; as the black gave way to white on the primary Rangers' uniforms, the outer shell of Carter's entire Ranger rig shattered to reveal the Magna Defender's original armour – complete with cape – with an extra holster on the right hip for the Bull Blade.

"Whoa – now **that** is a major upgrade!" RJ grinned. Camille seethed from next to the Wolf Master.

"Tiger Spirit, Full Fury! Jungle Master Red Ranger!" Casey called.

"Cheetah Spirit, Full Fury! Jungle Master Yellow Ranger!" Lily bellowed.

"Jaguar Spirit, Full Fury! Jungle Master Blue Ranger!" Theo cried.

"Bull Spirit, Full Fury! Jungle Master Magna Defender!" Carter roared, crossing his two swords.

"We summon the Animal Spirits from within – Power Rangers Jungle Fury!" the Rangers chorused.

"Go for it!" Casey ordered. At that order, Lily and Theo flew forward using their jets, keeping the Shadow Guards busy, as Carter and Casey faced down Dai Shi.

"This is almost too easy." Carter playfully noted.

"So your friends have my Guards occupied," Dai Shi noted, "No matter – I still have the power to destroy you both!"

"Then it's an even fight," Casey growled, "Let's do it, bro!"

"Let's bring it!" Carter smirked. And so, the battle began; as Carter and Casey continued to stalemate over and over against Dai Shi, a duo of powerful explosions symbolized the end of the Shadow Guards.

"They can't do this to us!" Camille cried.

"Those are my students," RJ calmly retorted, "There's nothing they can't do."

As he heard that compliment amidst the thrill of battle, Carter grinned while stepping back from the fight.

"Let's show them proof of that, Boss-Wolf."

"Try me, Tiger!" Dai Shi snarled; as the Lion Warrior endeavored to hold his own against the Rangers' new powers, Casey proceeded to slowly kick the tail out of him. After maximizing his attack with an augmented punch from the Claw Booster, Casey reflexively ducked, letting Carter soar over him and block Dai Shi's retaliatory blast with his swords.

"Bull Blast!" Carter roared, swinging both his swords in a forward windmill, and slamming Dai Shi with twin bursts of green energy.

"Tiger Strike!" Casey added, flying over Carter and launching a **massive **blast of red energy at the opponent, sending him flying.

"Firing Jets!" both Rangers ordered, soaring towards Dai Shi and slamming into him in mid-air with their weapons. As their opponent lay defeated, Red Ranger only had one thing to say.

"Now who's the top cat?"

* * *

"Guys, get over here!" Carter bellowed, having freed RJ easily.

"_No sign of the Werewolf yet... but we've gotta get the Wolf Ranger fighting soon, or things are going to bottom out damn quick."_ Carter mused.

"RJ, you okay?" Casey asked.

"Totally, dudes! No sweat!" RJ grinned. Suddenly, the Shadow Guards were revived, jumbo-size.

"Whoa – shocking!" the Wolf Master sarcastically noted.

"Let's show them our new technique, guys!" Casey grinned.

As the primary Rangers summoned the Gorilla, Antelope and Penguin Zords (Carter still had to fight off a laugh at the surfboard) Carter summoned his Bull Spirit Zord; but in Jungle Master Mode, it was in Torozord's colors instead of green.

"Black...?" RJ blinked, "He's met the Magna Defender. Whoa."

"Lil – we'll give you a push!" Theo suggested – pushing the Penguin Zord forward with the Antelope's feet and then the Bull's long horns. Casey augmented the move further with vibrations from the Gorilla Zord's fists slamming into its chest – unfortunately, as with 'canon', the move was only enough to destroy **one** Shadow Guard.

"Some things never change!" Carter groaned as the White Shadow Guard stood up, absorbing his fallen ally's power.

"What now?" Casey asked.

"Combine all your animal spirits!" RJ suggested, "It'll be out of control!"

"Of course!" Casey grinned, "Let's do it!"

"Animal Spirits unite!" the Rangers ordered.

As the Bull Zord transformed, the arms stood straight allowing the Gorilla Zord to transform and connect with the Bull, their arms interlocking as the Gorilla stood where Magna Defender did originally, its legs settling within the 'Torozord'. Then compartments on the Bull Zord's legs opened, letting the Penguin and Antelope Zords form 'legs' of their own and slide into the compartments. Finally, the 'canon' helmet formed on the Gorilla's head. The result was a new, larger configuration of...

"Jungle Master Megazord!"

Indeed, the new Megazord was almost equal in height to the Supertrain. Fortunately, it was rather basic in comparison; though just as durable – for as the Shadow Guard fired a powerful blast, the Jungle Master was unfazed even as it took the full strike and kept going forward, punching wildly and wounding the Shadow Guard several times.

"Jungle Master Megazord – Full Fury!" the Rangers ordered, spinning their arms from in the 'cockpit' and punching the Shadow Guard into oblivion, before the Megazord stood victorious like boxer.

"I knew they could do it." RJ grinned.

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 430 PM, Wednesday May 21__st__ 2008)_

"RJ, what time is it?" Carter asked.

"4:30, why?"

"Just curious," Carter replied, _"Three hours… holy shit – that was a long fight."_

"Anyway, guys – that was unbelievable! You really saved my hide!" RJ exclaimed.

"You'd have done the same for us!" Lily replied.

"Ah, loft sweet loft – it's great to be home!" RJ grinned. Suddenly, he noticed several discrepancies... which caused Carter to groan.

"Hello, Rangers." A voice called. The new Magna Defender face-palmed as he recognized the voice; Lily smacked him on the back of the head.

"Power Rangers." Fran noted sternly.

"Ah, crap – angry Fran." Carter squeaked, ducking behind RJ's chair. Poking an eye out, the Bull ducked back behind the chair in dramatic fear after looking at a stoic Lily.

"Ah, crap – angry Lily!" he croaked. _"No, that's... in three weeks. Shit..."_ Carter sighed. Fortunately, Fran broke down in giggles – which served as the perfect cue for the others to laugh at Carter's antics. The Bull Ranger grinned at the girls, leaving his hiding spot.

"Hey, Fran; you know why we didn't tell you, right?" Carter asked.

"Yeah, I know," the bespectacled bookworm replied, "I read a lot of comics; I know the whole secret identity shtick. Just let me help out?"

"You always have, Fran." RJ smiled.

Fran grinned. No one noticed Theo eyeing the bookworm with an intrigued look.

* * *

A/N: 10,400 words later...

(1) See Wikipedia (/wiki/Breath_(Breaking_Benjamin_song) for further details on the song used. On a personal note, this happens to be one of my favourites...


	6. Bacon, Spikes, Discord, Unity

Disclaimer: see prior chapters for all relevant disclaimers.

Thanks to djhardim for reviewing – here is the last chapter in a triple-posting; this one spans the events of "Bad to the Bone" – though with Carter involved and Lily's bond to him, things will be a little different, and Lily won't be the only one affected. Indeed, events in this 'episode' will shake up the entire Ranger legacy, as the 'Ranger Historian' – to coin a phrase from one of Knightwood's projects – appears in Ocean Bluff for the first time in this fic...

* * *

_**Jungle Fury, New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 6: Bacon, Spikes, Discord, Unity**_

"_I like my bacon... __**extra crispy!**__" – Shane Clarke, "Power Rangers Ninja Storm"_

"_What have we here; discord amongst the ranks?" – Frax, "Power Rangers Time Force"_

"_The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.__" – Margaret Carty

* * *

_

_(JKP, 1100 AM, Wednesday June 5__th__ 2008)_

"Rangers, party of four," Fran grinned, happily tossing a small serving tray from hand to hand as she entered the kitchen, "Your table is ready!"

"Fran, you don't have to announce it to the whole world," Theo snarked wryly.

"Relax, Theo," Lily grinned as her co-worker blushed, "I can understand her excitement."

"Me too," Carter chuckled, "It's not every day you meet crime-fighters, after all – but Fran, you might want to focus a bit, and put this in the loft." The Bull Ranger held up a pink top, handing it to Fran from its former resting place on the kitchen table, "If memory serves me, you **did** just buy this."

"Oh – thanks, Carter," Fran smiled, taking the top and putting it in the changing area, "And thank you too, **Lily**." She added upon returning, throwing Theo a glare. The Blue Ranger smiled sheepishly at Fran.

"Hot coming through!" Casey barked; Carter leaned back surprisingly far for such a muscular man as Casey brought a freshly-cooked pizza from the oven and placed it on a cooling rack, "Yikes – very hot!" Casey added, losing grip on the pizza paddle and knocking over a bucket of sauce. The others grimaced at the sight.

"No problem; I can make more sauce," Lily replied.

"Ah, Theo – you were supposed to put on extra sausage, not pepperoni," RJ noted, eyeing the latest bill.

"C'mon, man – I'll help make a new one," Carter smiled. Casey chuckled, wiping up the spilled sauce with a rag – not noticing that the rag was one from the waistband of Carter's apron.

"Aw, dude – would it kill ya to ask first!?" Carter grimaced, suddenly noticing his right-side towel was missing from his 'belt'.

"Sorry, buddy; needed a rag," Casey laughed weakly.

"S'ok – like I said, though, ask first. That's part of my gear from home; don't want to lose it **too** fast." Carter replied wryly.

"I think you guys need to be a little more considerate – like Lily, and Carter." Fran smiled.

"No we don't," Theo teased, hugging Lily with one arm, "Those two are considerate enough for all of us." Lily smirked at her best (non-romantic) friend as the phone rang.

"Ha-ha, Theo," Carter deadpanned as he finished cleaning the spilled sauce in Casey's place, "You're a real comedian – you should take your act on the road." Theo rolled his eyes at the African-American adult.

"Ah, guys – this order to go was meant to be a delivery," Fran interjected.

"Don't worry; I'll take it," Lily replied.

"I got it," Carter retorted calmly, "Trust me, if this is what I think it is it's probably better if I take this one."

"You think Dai Shi's going to send a beast?" Lily asked.

"Not sure, Beautiful; I know he'll send some pig-themed beast, but I don't know if it's today or six weeks from now," Carter answered with a smile as he hung up his chef's jacket, pulling a black leather jacket down from its hooks; one the Bull Ranger had acquired just after the Jungle Master Mode had been gifted to the Rangers. Meanwhile Casey packed up the pizza as Carter continued his reply, "Just pray I'm being paranoid, and-"

"Ah!" RJ gasped, clutching his chest as pain flared up and his breath suddenly left him.

"Boss-Wolf!? You okay?" Carter asked, stopping short of grabbing the delivery box.

"Y-yeah," RJ stuttered as his breath returned to him, "I pulled a muscle yesterday – I'm going to go upstairs; take a break."

"Go, boss; I'll be as fast as I can with the pizza so I can help out here," Carter replied.

"Take your time, Carter," RJ replied calmly before heading upstairs, gasping in pain halfway to the loft.

"Is he okay?" Lily asked Carter, "I was hoping to introduce you two to my sisters sometime this week; they're finally able to come here and see the place."

"Guys, keep an eye on RJ, please," Carter muttered, "I think Dai Shi did worse to the Boss-Wolf then he's letting on; if we're not careful, something could go seriously wrong. If for some reason I morph, come to my location with weapons free."

The Rangers and Fran nodded as Carter left with the delivery.

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff Warehouse District, 1130 A.M., June 5__th__ 2008)_

"Hmm... Casey was right – this **is** a strange place for a delivery." Carter noted, parking the scooter and removing his bike helmet.

"_It's not my motorbike – or Lily's – but it does the job."_ JKP's current deliveryman mused as he set his helmet on the seat; indeed, the scooter was closer to a power-aided bicycle than to either Ranger's motorbike, its maximum speed being nowhere near a motorcycle's. The only saving grace regarding the old vehicle was that it had a storage unit for pizza.

"_That storage unit's probably the only reason RJ keeps this thing around... aw, dammit." _Carter groaned as he pulled out the pizza from its storage area.

"Looks like a wrong address." The Bull Ranger realized.

"That's right!" a voice yelled, "And for you it's your **last** address!"

Quickly putting the pizza away, Carter ducked and weaved around his assailant's attacks – upon noticing said assailant was a Rinshi, Carter lashed out with a kick and jumped back, giving himself some breathing room.

"Great... a Rinshi," he panted, catching his breath.

"Do I have your attention **now**, Ranger!?" the Rinshi asked, suddenly transforming into a pig-like monster holding sausage/nunchuku.

"_Hamhock – this __**is**__ the day. It should be an easy enough fight, battling him." _Carter grinned.

"My bad, Porky Pig," he joked, pulling back the sleeves of his jacket to reveal his morpher, "Apparently I should've delivered in uniform. Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

With that, the Jungle Fury Bull Ranger appeared, Bull Blade in hand – all set to slice up some bacon.

* * *

_(20 minutes later, after the battle)_

"No use wasting this pizza on a bad delivery!" Casey grinned, finishing off the last slice of pizza from Carter's botched delivery run, and throwing the crust behind him. After defeating Hamhock and returning the scooter to JKP, the four Rangers had been given the day off while RJ and Fran tackled the restaurant.

Carter caught the crust before it hit the ground, stood up and looked towards Lily – who was currently wearing a black top and pants with a yellow belt and green-laced boots; the suit combined with Lily's natural beauty was causing the Bull Ranger's hormones to carbonize, much to his frustration – while the tribute to his Ranger colors made Carter smile as she gently pried the crust from his fingers.

"I call that littering!" the current Yellow Ranger smirked towards her friends as she threw the crust into a nearby garbage bin without looking – and with one hand – before retying her shoelaces. Lily smiled; she'd seen Carter's reaction to her tribute and choice of clothing, and was (to put it mildly) extremely happy.

"_There __**is**__ a man under that controlled exterior..."_ Lily smirked.

"I call it feeding the birds!" Casey retorted wryly.

"What birds?" Carter deadpanned, nodding to the west, "Harbour district's an hour that way on foot – seagulls are all there!" _"Okay, I know Lily's hot – knew that when I watched the damn __**show –**__ but that's __**not**__ why I'm dating her. C'mon, bod; stabilize!"_ Carter growled inwardly; his bio-control was slipping slightly, despite his meditation and training that morning.

"Touché, Carter," Casey muttered, "Hey, Theo – what do you call what Lily just did?"

"Being considerate," the Blue Ranger replied in amused synch with his Red comrade. Carter snickered and stepped back as Lily stole the empty pizza box from Casey and proceeded to beat the daylights out of him and Theo with it.

"Hey, Carter – a little help!?" Casey asked.

"I told ya before, Casey," Carter grinned, "I'm not getting involved! You'd think you would learn by now; you don't want to anger Hurricane Lily!"

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the area nearby; Lily dropped the box as she heard more screams, while Carter's eyes flashed green before darkening to black – his Bull Spirit was ready for battle.

"Okay, the heck with Hurricane Lily – c'mon, guys, let's move!" the Bull Ranger barked.

Unfortunately, a new challenge would present itself in the group's dynamic – and Lily's bond to Carter – from the fight ahead.

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff Plaza, 1200 PM)_

"Get my 'point'!?" the monster asked, summoning giant quills on his hands; the Rinshi Beast that had been sent shortly after Hamhock's defeat was a porcupine-themed creature that Carter recognized well, especially after he and the other guys had been hit by a spike barrage.

"_Porcupongo..." _the Bull Ranger growled as the Rinshi Beast started swinging at Lily with his quill-gauntleted fists. As all his attacks were dodged, the beast tried a new tactic, jumping into the air.

"Look out, Lil- Carter!?" Casey gaped as the Bull Ranger took to the air himself, flinging his Bull Blade like a boomerang and sending Porcupongo flying **away** from Lily instead.

"Don't you dare, you poisonous bastard – not in this lifetime!" Carter growled, catching his sword and assuming Magna Defender's old stance. Under her helmet, Lily gaped; she had only heard that low, deadly tone of voice from Carter once before, when Jellica had attacked the Rangers – and Carter had nearly given his life for the Chosen Three.

"_Is he going to do that again?" _the Yellow Ranger mused, _"No way – this guy's no Overlord!"_ the Yellow Ranger stepped forward, only to stop at Carter's yell.

"Stay back, all of you!" Carter barked, parrying Porcupongo's strikes with increasing speed even as his voice came closer and closer to Kevin Conroy's portrayal of Batman, "His quills are poison – they'll turn you evil if they stay inside you too long, never mind hit you!"

"But we can help!" Lily retorted.

"**NO**!" Carter shot back, somehow holding his Bull Blade in a deadlock with **both** of Porcupongo's quills, "You three need to beat Dai Shi – that is paramount; you're the only ones who can destroy him forever! I'm the expendable one in all of this!"

"Not to us, you're not; you're my brother, man!" Casey retorted, "Shark Sabres!"

"Jungle Tonfa!" Theo barked, summoning his signature weapon, "From day one, you've always believed in us, supported us – now it's our turn to support you!"

"Jungle Bo!" Lily summoned her signature weapon, "We're not letting you go, you stubborn Bull; **I'M** not letting you go! Not like this!!"

And so the Chosen Three attempted to help their overprotective comrade. As Casey and Theo were batted away like flies, Carter was sent reeling by a powerful slash... before Porcupongo then sent the Cheetah Ranger sprawling as well, causing her to drop her Jungle Bo even as Porcupongo finished his original attack; striking her with his quills a dozen times over before sending the Cheetah Ranger flying back.

"**NO!!!**" Carter roared, stumbling to his feet.

"One down, three to go – I hope you others are tougher than **this** one!" Porcupongo snarled and turned to retreat; only to reel in pain as he was hit by multiple blasts of bright green superheated plasma, sending him slamming painfully into a car.

"I'll show you tough, you spineless coward!" Carter yelled; in his rage, the Bull Ranger had morphed into Jungle Master Mode and cut loose with the Bull **and** Magna Blasters, somehow firing both of them despite their shotgun-like design. Moving the blasters to his hips and transforming them into their respective blades, the newest – currently enraged – Magna Defender allowed his opponent to stand... and then attacked with vicious ruthlessness, never letting up for a moment – until two Shark Sabres stopped his assault, letting Porcupongo finish his retreat.

"Calm down, man!" Casey roared, pushing Carter back; surprisingly, the Bull Ranger actually stepped back a pace, "I'm as angry he did this as you are, but that doesn't give you the right to succumb to rage! You attacked an opponent while he was down – hell, let's tell it like it is; you damn near killed him!"

"He hurt her," Carter snarled, sounding scarily like the original Magna Defender, "**NO ONE **hurts Lily unless they want to deal with me!"

"You're hurting her right now by going off half-cocked like this!" Casey retorted, "You and the boss both taught me that giving into your anger only causes more pain! You think Lily would be **happy** you're doing this!? She would be ashamed, I think! I know I am; you told us once that you wanted to make a **positive** difference! Well, this is as far the other way as you could get!"

"You would have me do nothing, then?" Carter retorted heatedly, "What just happened to Lily is one of the things I was trying to prevent!"

"Maybe there's something to be learned from this mess!" Casey shot back, "Ever think of that!? And I wouldn't have you 'do nothing' – our friends are headed back to base right now; you going to be there for your girl, Bull Ranger, or go off on some suicide mission!? By now this guy's back at Dai Shi's temple; attacking that place solo as we are is a bad idea! We wait until he attacks again and then we strike - **you got that!?**"

"...You're right," Carter muttered bitterly, turning away and heading back to JKP, demorphing en route. Casey looked on, demorphing himself... and then had to stop a grimace from encompassing his face as his shoulders and arms seared with pain.

"_Hurricane Lily, you called her? She's a cakewalk compared to you, brother."_ Casey sighed, rolling his shoulders. With Lily down and Carter's control in a fragile state, things were going to get a great deal more difficult.

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 0200 PM)_

Unfortunately for Lily, the only way the quills could be extracted was similar to 'canon' – a giant magnifying glass and pliers. Thankfully, after a bout of meditation Carter had decided to take over for RJ before the Wolf Master ate a second sandwich.

"I'm sorry, Lil..." Carter grimaced as he pulled out another quill, "Sorry I let you down."

"You... argh...!" Lily gasped as Carter pulled out yet another quill seconds later, "You didn't let me down – don't worry about it."

"Are you going to be okay?" Carter asked even as he pulled out a **third** quill, "I don't know if accelerated healing will catch all this, and all these open wounds will add up damn quick."

"I'll be fine," Lily replied tersely, "In fact, I feel fine right now."

"Well, there are no more quills in there as far as I can see..." Carter noted, narrowing his eyes behind the magnifying glass, "You feel any more in there?"

"Nope – you're done; I feel fine," Lily retorted, replacing her jacket and standing up.

"Chill, Lily," Theo replied, "This is Carter you're dealing with – he's just making sure."

"Don't tell me how to act," Lily spat in annoyance, "Blue Boy."

None of the Rangers bar Casey saw Carter's eyes widen in shock at those words; only Casey, keeping a surreptitious eye on the Bull Ranger, saw the older fighter's jaw tighten and fists clench before his face was schooled into reasonable impassiveness.

"Guys, relax," the Bull Ranger replied calmly, "RJ and I have work to do up here – we need you three to help Fran."

"There you go telling me what to do again, Bull Boy," Lily glared condescendingly at Carter, "I have had enough of your grief. We're done – and I'm outta here!"

"What's up with her?" Theo blinked as Lily left the loft. Carter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he struggled to keep calm.

"We missed a quill, that's what."

"_**WHAT!?" **_the other men cried.

"Long story," Carter grimaced, "It's in her shoulder blade, specifically near her spine; that's why she's being so... well, not-Lily; the poison in the quill is affecting her brain. Her body – and her animal spirit – can purge the poison on their own, but the only way to do that without putting Lily in the hospital is to get the quill out – **today**. Problem is that we can't go for it given its location."

"That has to still hurt, though," RJ cringed, "Her talking to you like that." Carter shrugged.

"Her monthlies are about the same – though I admit she's never broken up with me over them," JKP's X.O. replied wryly, causing the other guys to gape in shock at his nonchalant attitude, "she actually got her nickname for me from all that."

"Okay, so how do we fix this?" Casey asked.

"**After-school rush!" **Fran yelled upstairs.

"Guys, go – I've got some stuff to tackle first, but after that I'm going to track down Lily... see if I can't stop this." Carter grimaced.

"Careful, man; remember what happened last time you went off half-cocked?" Casey asked in concern.

"This isn't like before, Casey; I'm not going off in a fit of rage – I'm throwing out the rulebook and doing everything in my power to help the woman I love." Carter replied calmly, "Roles reversed, she'd do the same thing for me and you know it."

"True – she does love you a lot." Casey smiled faintly. "We'll hold down the fort – you help Lily. C'mon, Blue Boy," the Tiger added, dragging Theo to the kitchen.

As Casey and Theo headed to the restaurant proper, Carter moved to exit the building entirely – until he saw RJ grimacing in pain.

"Sure that's just a pulled muscle, boss-Wolf?"

"Yeah – I'll be fine," RJ smiled faintly, "You said we missed a quill; go, help Lily."

"Will do, Boss – but you just take care of yourself, eh?" Carter smiled back, "Stabilize that Wolf of yours, because we're going to need your Ranger power soon – and honestly, JKP's not the same without you."

RJ looked at his second cook in horror; Carter's smile turned mysterious.

"Your secret's safe with me, Boss – just promise me you'll get your control back?" he added.

"As long as you get yours back too," RJ grimaced, "You're a martial artist – more importantly, you're a Ranger; **not** a poacher."

"I know, boss... I know." Carter sighed, "And Rangers never stand by while one of their own is in trouble and they can do something about it; which means I've gotta go."

"Good luck, dude." RJ smiled faintly as Carter left. Unfortunately, later on RJ would vanish in an effort to morph into the Wolf Ranger... and a werewolf would rise from the ashes.

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff, 20 minutes later)_

"_Dammit – she's headed back to JKP!" _Carter grimaced, speeding through a back alley on his green-and-black striped motorcycle in an effort to cut off Lily; having just missed his girlfriend as she bought a leather jacket and an **extremely** gothic biker outfit, the Bull Ranger proceeded to chase her all over town – thankfully his bike was full of gas, and the quill inside Lily didn't affect her mind to such a degree that she ignored **all** the rules of the road, or things would've gone straight to hell. Unfortunately, for all the Bull Ranger's love of motorcycles and tweaking his own bike for maximum performance in the little spare time he had, the fact remained that Lily's bike was just that **little** bit faster.

"_Bloody Cheetahs... bloody Ninja bikes... I've gotta wonder – did Hayley use the Kawasaki Ninja's engine as a prototype for the Raptor Cycles? God knows they're fast enough..." _Carter groused as he chased Lily back to JKP. Unfortunately, as he parked his bike properly in the garage, Lily parked her bike right behind JKP's delivery scooter – and illegally, at that.

"_Bloody hell..." _Carter grumbled as he sprinted back to the street, continuing his chase after the wayward Cheetah Ranger.

"Check for Table five – eight needs drinks!" Theo informed Casey. As the Blue Ranger moved towards the cash register, the entire restaurant heard the roar of a sports bike's engine.

"_That's not good... if Lily's here,"_ Theo mused, _"What happened to Carter?"_

The restaurant's front door then opened... and Fran and the Rangers saw the most bizarre sight yet.

"Lily?" Fran muttered, seeing a blonde woman wearing an all-black outfit; leather jacket, leather boots, black jeans and black makeup. Indeed, it was Lily; not that any of them could tell at a glance.

"She looks so... so..." Theo trailed off, his face screwing up in consternation. Even Lily's **nails** were painted black!

"So – whoa-whoa – **not** Lily," Casey finished with eyes wide; indeed, he'd never seen his unofficial sister like this before. The duo flinched as Lily proceeded to send a table of customers running; meanwhile, Carter entered the restaurant from the kitchen in full uniform.

"Sorry, guys..." he gasped, wiping his brow with his sleeve, "I tried, but she's just that **little** bit faster than me on the bikes...!"

"At least you made an effort, Carter," Fran smiled his way, "Thanks for that."

The Bull Ranger threw her a wordless thumbs-up in response, still breathless from the chase. As he caught his breath, he noticed Theo and Casey ogling his girlfriend, and groaned.

"Oh, for the love of...!"

"Carter, with me – we'll take care of this. Casey, Theo; you two check on RJ." Fran ordered. Carter smiled; the situation, as bizarre as it was, was an improvement over two months prior – Fran would never have taken charge then.

"They're not listening, Carter," Fran hissed at him.

"I can see why – and believe me, it's nothing to do with you," Carter muttered in annoyance before turning to the boys and snapping his fingers, "Guys – **RJ**!"

The scratching record was **almost** audible as the Red and Blue Rangers refocused, stumbling towards the kitchen.

"Hey – slick!" Fran barked as Carter proceeded to try and calm the rest of the customers; Lily, meanwhile, looked towards Fran with a glare as the bookish waitress continued, "Good Lily, Bad Lily! I don't care; but no food – until you get your feet off the table!"

"I'm terribly sorry about this, ladies," Carter explained to another table of three young women; a short-haired brunette, and two dirty-blonde women, all who Carter had a feeling of déjà vu around, were the only customers who bothered to stay after Lily's entrance.

"RJ, the owner, took a sabbatical without warning the rest of us, and one of our employees is... ah..." Carter trailed off, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for Lily's state.

"It's her monthlies, isn't it?" the brunette at the table asked, nodding towards the current Yellow Ranger.

"Yeah," Carter replied lamely, "Sorry, again – bar that detail, Lily's not normally like this. This must be a particularly bad month, too, because she's never been this bad... that I know of, anyway; she and I have only known each other in that kind of detail for two months."

"It's all right," one of the dirty-blondes replied; this one had her hair down in waves, and wore smart, casual clothing – yet Carter got the feeling she could hold her own as well as any fighter, "Everyone has their bad days, hormones or not. Lily's special to you, isn't she?"

"It's that obvious, huh?" Carter smiled sheepishly as the dark-haired woman's hazel eyes – similar to Lily's own, yet so very different at the same time – locked with his.

"She's my girlfriend," JKP's X.O. continued as the moment passed, "Like I said, though, she's not normally like this. I think Lily was caught in one of that porcupine thing's attacks; I have it on good authority that that beast's quills make your personality practically pull a 180. Since Lily's normally the sweetest girl anyone could ever meet, well... you see the result. And given that I was somewhat overprotective with her before she was attacked..."

All three women winced at the latter admission,

"No, you don't need to tell me how stupid I was," Carter rolled his eyes as the trio opened their mouths, "I thought I could help her all on my own, but I was wrong... and I didn't get to apologize for my arrogance before she was attacked."

"Well, whether she knows it or not," the hazel-eyed dirty-blonde replied, "she's a lucky girl to have you as a boyfriend; most guys I've met don't bother to apologize when they screw up."

"True," Carter admitted, "Then again, I'm not most guys – and Lily's awesome anyway; in her normal state she could have her pick of any guy, but she chose me. God only knows why," Carter grinned, hiding a blush, "Really, **I'm** lucky to be dating **her**."

"Don't you worry about us, then," the second dirty-blonde replied – rather forcefully, much to Carter's shock, even as he noted her ponytail, brown eyes and tomboyish appearance, "Take care of her! We'll come back another time."

"Sometimes," the first dirty-blonde noted, "a girl just... wants to be with her guy; even during the rough spots. Go, be with her – we'll come back tomorrow."

"Thanks," Carter smiled, "I'll remember that."

"By the way," the second dirty-blonde replied, "I'm Ronny; these two are Rose and Kira," She jerked a thumb at the brunette and then the other dirty-blonde as she said their names, "We're old friends of RJ's who're just passing through, and we decided to check out this restaurant – looks pretty cool."

"It's good to meet you – all of you," Carter smiled, shaking the three women's hands even as the déjà vu-like sensation continued to grow, "I'm Carter Sisko, second cook of Jungle Karma Pizza – and temporary boss of this nuthouse while RJ's on sabbatical. Sorry you couldn't see him again."

"No worries," Rose smiled, "Just tell him when you see him that Andrew Hartford and his friends say hello."

"Will do," Carter replied in mild awe. _"Hartford? So RJ was right about the morphers..."_

"You said your girlfriend's name is Lily – would that be Lily Chilman?" Ronny asked.

"Yeah, that's her; why?" Carter grinned, "Are you some long-lost family member come to say hello, Ronny?"

"Kira and I are her biological sisters, actually – it's a rather long story, but we're all very close," Ronny smirked as Carter cringed, and then gulped in fear, "When we heard she'd finally found a **decent** boyfriend after about a decade of jackasses hitting on her, we wanted to meet the guy – and I've gotta say I'm impressed." The part-Indian chef dramatically wiped his brow in relief, causing the girls no end of laughter.

Suddenly, Carter's morpher beeped from under his chef's jacket.

"What's that?" Kira asked, noticing the right half of Carter's Bull Morpher sticking out of his jacket sleeve; "It looks pretty fancy."

"Restaurant pager," Carter lied smoothly, "Lets me know when they need my help in the kitchen. All JKP employees at this point have one, but I came to the party a little late – so mine's designed differently from the others. Excuse me."

"'Restaurant pager', he says?" Ronny whispered with a smile as Carter entered the kitchen, "Well, well, Rose – looks like Ranger-related lies **are** getting more flawless. At least our identities were publicly known."

"I wonder how he missed that bit of information, Ronny." Rose asked.

"If Carter is a Ranger, he didn't seem too focused – this mess with Lily must really be distracting him," Kira noted.

"Want to give him a hand?" Ronny grinned at her friends, "I mean it's obvious what his color is; the guy had a green shirt on under his jacket. We'll have no trouble finding him, we're all here, our powers and gear are intact, and we've got nothing better to do."

"Why not? Their team could use a little more girl power for now," Kira grinned, raising her wrist to the table and revealing the Yellow Dino Gem to her friends. Rose and Ronny stuffed a hand in their pockets, fingers caressing their Overdrive Trackers.

"True," Rose noted, "If I'm right, their only girl is... well..." Rose pointed towards Lily with her eyes; the current(ly gothic) Yellow Ranger was glaring daggers at Fran's back as the bookworm wrote off several tables. The three former female Rangers cringed at the sight; black did not suit the Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger at all.

"Let's go back up the boys," Kira smiled, "Check, please!"

The girls made sure to leave a decent tip before heading off to help their new friend.

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff Harbour District, 0245 PM)_

"_Snap, he's fast!"_ Carter gaped, dodging the wolf-man's claws; despite knowing it was RJ under all the fur, Carter had shown up shortly after Casey and Theo had morphed; he was morphed himself and fighting his hardest – but still not landing anymore strikes than Casey or Theo, which is to say, none. As the wolf-man vanished, Carter looked down at his chest plate, which the Zen-Aku wannabe had scratched repeatedly.

"Ugh... good thing the suits regenerate when we power down," the Bull Ranger grimaced, "these gashes would take forever to repair otherwise."

"At least you've got armour, bro," Casey grimaced, "Trust me, those claws... they sure aren't dull."

"Oh, good – just the Rangers I've been looking for!" a voice interjected. The three men turned to see Porcupongo glaring at them.

"Hold it right there!" Carter snarled, brandishing his Bull Blade even as his voice resumed its low, gravelly Batman-like tone, "You and I have unfinished business."

"Carter, you ready for this?" Casey asked, "You won't go off on him again?"

"We'll beat him together," Carter replied, "But when he goes jumbo-sized, leave him to me!"

And so, the three Rangers attacked – and continued to stalemate with Porcupongo just like before. Even using the late Magna Defender's moves – which Carter had learned through a combination of mental retraining and physical practice since returning from the Spirit World – only tilted the scales so far in their favour... until the Jungle Fury Rangers were hit with a surprise: the Zeo Five Power Sword, boomeranging over all their heads and striking Porcupongo in the chest before returning to its owner.

"Okay, **this** I didn't see coming," the Bull Ranger noted wryly as Tommy Oliver caught the sword, "Doctor Tommy Oliver."

"Looks like you three could use some help," the Ranger Legend grinned, "Well, I'm here to give it to you." Tommy eyed Carter with a look of appreciation, "Another Magna Defender... nice. Mike would be proud."

"I know – though I'm not like him or the original; I'm the Bull Ranger, and we've gotta admit that we need some help big-time with our Yellow Ranger gone A.W.O.L.," Carter replied.

"Well, you've got it." Tommy smiled, summoning his Zeonizers.

"Let's show him what time it is!" Casey growled; noticing Porcupongo getting up, the four Rangers stood in a line as Tommy's Zeonizers glowed red.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Tommy bellowed, transforming into the Red Zeo Ranger and twirling his Power Sword, "Give it your best shot!"

"You'll all join the Yellow one!" Porcupongo snarled, sprinting towards all four Rangers. Unfortunately for him, when three **more** Rangers – Yellow and Pink Overdrive and Yellow Dino – showed up as additional backup, Porcupongo stood no chance of winning as the Drive Geyser, Drive Claws and Ptera Grips were added to the force against him. And things just got worse for the beast as the seven Rangers heard a motorcycle speed into the battlefield.

"Get clear, everyone!" Carter barked, slashing Porcupongo twice before rolling away, "That's **our** Yellow coming in!"

"I'm **back!**" Lily grinned, roaring in on her cheetah-spotted motorbike and lashing out with a powerful side kick as she passed Porcupongo. As she skidded to a stop beside the Jungle Fury Rangers at the pier's entrance, the four older Rangers stood in a blockade at the path to the pier's edge – there was nowhere for Porcupongo to run.

"Get **my** point, spikey?" Lily smirked while removing her bike helmet and gloves, "Looks like you guys need some help."

"Gee, you think?" Casey snarked, "We've got **four** other Rangers backing us up and this guy's still tough!" Lily's lips twitched at her little brother's sarcasm before she looked towards Carter, who was currently battling a recovered Porcupongo alongside Theo, with Rose and Kira waiting for an opening to join in. As he looked back at her, despite the featureless helmet, the Bull Ranger appeared to be happy– in his generally understated way – his girlfriend was back.

"_We'll talk later, Bull Boy!"_ Lily smiled before turning to the old Rangers, "As for the rest of you... thank you – all of you – for helping us."

"We're not done **quite** yet; still have to beat this beast," Tommy replied, catching Theo as he stumbled back from Porcupongo's strike, "You okay, man?"

"Not infected, thank goodness; his quills are sharp, though," Theo smiled, "Thanks. And Lil, good to have you back." The current Blue Ranger added before returning to the fray. Lily smiled and nodded at her best friend.

"Anytime," the legendary Red Ranger smiled.

"You can come on down **anytime**, guys – the hell with how stubborn I was being before; I can't beat him alone!" Carter yelled, currently engaged in a rudimentary fencing match with Porcupongo. As the muscular warrior tried to slash forward, the Rinshi Beast blocked his attack and countered with a blast of spikes, sending Carter flying. As his morph suddenly gave out the older Rangers (bar Tommy) gasped in shock and recognition upon seeing the bald scalp and sleeveless green tee associated with JKP's second cook – and then Lily jumped forward, catching the bulkier adult. Unfortunately, the momentum from Carter's unintended flight sent both unmorphed Rangers flying into a stack of crates and through a warehouse door.

"Ouch..." Lily groaned, smiling at her boyfriend, "Hi, Carter."

"Hi, Lil... you back to normal?" Carter asked softly.

"I am," Lily breathed, hugging the powerless Bull Ranger, "And I'm so sorry for what I did – I heard from Fran that you missed a quill, and ended up chasing me all over town because of it."

"I would've done so much more, Lil, if the need arose – because it was all for you," Carter smiled tiredly, "Really, you only hurt me once, just after you were poisoned – when you dumped me and spat your nickname for me in my face. The rest of the crap this morning was just me being stupid."

"I'm sorry... but stupid – you?" Lily giggled, "Carter, no boyfriend of mine is stupid; stubborn, yes – a little temperamental, a little too prone to brooding, and maybe a little dramatic too, but never stupid."

"Thought you never dated before me?" Carter retorted wryly, slowly getting to his feet.

"Never before," Lily smiled as she followed her boyfriend, "And never again – even with Theo and Casey wanting to change that. I love **you**, Bull Boy. No one else comes close to that – and you're stuck with me for as long as you want me."

"The feeling's mutual, Cheetah Girl; but that's a long time in my case, ya know," Carter grinned.

"I'm sure I can live with it." Lily winked at her boyfriend before placing her Solar Morpher on her face and pressing a button, "After all, this black stuff isn't me...

Suddenly, the Jungle Master Yellow Ranger appeared in Lily's place.

"**This **is me!"

"See, now **there's** the Lily I know and love!" Carter laughed, "Let's do this! With nine Rangers against him, Porcupongo doesn't stand a chance!"

"You have enough power left?" Lily asked, "Old spike-for-brains hit you pretty hard back there; I noticed your last run with Jungle Master Mode was right after I was hit the last time, too – and you were pretty mad then."

"With you back to normal, Lil, I have all the power I need and more – when Magna Defender gave me Jungle Master Mode, he told me that my power comes from within and is strengthened by my best friend." Carter smiled, and blew a kiss towards Lily before raising his forearms like horns, "With you under that poison spell your part of that power was inert; as a result of the imbalance my strength was weakened and my control was slagged, which is part of why I went berserk on Porcupongo after you were hit. But with you here and poison-free, and your sisters in town – they approve of us, by the way – as well as some new friends backing us up..."

Carter pulled the connector ring from his left morpher, before locking his morphers together and transforming straight into his Jungle Master Mode.

"With all of that, I'm back too – and together, we're stronger than ever!"

"Let's give them a hand, then!" Lily grinned, "The four of us can overcome anything!"

As the newest Ranger couple exited the warehouse and backed up their friends – with profuse apologies from Lily to Casey and Theo thrown in – the four older Rangers slowly backed off from the fight as the Jungle Fury Rangers continued to wear down Porcupongo; the older Rangers were only hitting Porcupongo if he came near them, which was rare after Lily and Carter's arrival. In the end Porcupongo went 'jumbo-size' after being blasted by all eight Rangers; the Rinshi Beast was then defeated by what looked like a restored Defender Torozord – but was in reality Carter's Bull Pride Megazord in Magna Defender's colors.

"These new Rangers are awesome, huh Doctor O?" Kira asked.

"They are; their kung fu training and your friend Carter's fighting prowess makes them a tough challenge." Tommy smiled as the Bull Pride stood triumphant, raising its double-edged lance to the sky, "RJ chose well – I don't think the Machine Empire, Rita **or** Zedd would've stood a chance if these guys were around then."

"And we'll be here to help now if they need it," Rose smiled from next to Kira, "After all, Rangers don't stand by when one of their own are in trouble."

"Indeed they don't," Tommy smiled, "Which reminds me, I've gotta call an old friend."

"What, another Ranger from your era, Tommy?" Ronny asked, "Let me guess; Adam again?"

"No, Ronny – not this time," Tommy smiled at the competitive Yellow Overdrive Ranger, "Adam's not the only one who still has his powers from the old days – Jason has his original Red Ranger Powers, as well as access to my first Ranger weapons; the Dragon Shield and the Dragonzord. I gave him back the Dragon Coin before he left the Ranger gig, and I think with that power and his own skills he could help Casey and Carter out tremendously."

"I hope you're right, doc – because the Carter we met could really use some support; I don't think he's got any family out here." Ronny replied as the Bull Pride vanished and Carter reappeared to a celebration with his teammates.

"Well, he does now." Kira retorted calmly, "Hey, Bull Ranger – get your stubborn hide over here!"

"Just a sec!" Carter grinned as he finally recognized the Yellow Ptera Ranger's voice. _"I had a feeling, but being distracted as I was..."_ "C'mon, Lil – you wanted to see your sisters, right? Well, they're right here." Carter nodded towards the other two Yellow Rangers.

"You're kidding, right Bull Boy?" Lily asked Carter as he pulled her by the hand; an action she was willing to forgive given recent events, "I mean... I know I said I want to introduce you to them, but how do **you** know them? Yeah, I share a color with those two Yellow Rangers, but they're... not..."

Lily trailed off as her two sisters-in-color powered down to reveal her** actual**, flesh-and-blood sisters standing beside Rose and Tommy.

"Ronny!" Lily gaped, powering down herself and removing her sunglasses with her vacant hand before tackling her oldest sister in a hug and eyeing the 'middle child' among the trio, "Kira? You two are Rangers!?"

"Well, you knew about my team; Rose and I were only active last year with the others, and our powers were never lost!" Ronny grinned down at Lily as Carter demorphed behind her, "Kira, though, was active four years ago with Mr. Always-a-Ranger there!" Ronny jerked a thumb at Tommy, who was still in his Ranger rig, "The two of them came back to help us out of a tight spot near the end of our run; the Doc and Kira had their Dino powers revitalized by the Sentinel Knight." (1)

"I'll say it again – it's great to be back!" Kira grinned, ruffling Lily's hair, "Though for the record, sis – the gothic look was **my** routine; get your own."

"Oh, be quiet, Kira." Lily blushed as Carter – now that he could take the opportunity – eyed her with an appreciative look.

"I have to admit, Cheetah Girl," Ronny grinned as Kira stealthily eyed Carter with a smile, "Your taste in boyfriends is impeccable. What were you thinking, letting him go for even a moment?"

"Hey, I was under a poison spell until about 30 minutes ago; give a girl a break!" Lily retorted, "And Kira, quit ogling my boyfriend!"

"Ah, it's cool Lil," Carter chuckled, pulling the Yellow Dino Ranger into a one-armed hug, "I'm used to it – though this is the first time a cute lady musician has checked me out."

"Okay, whoa, back up a sec," Casey cut in, "I know you're Lily's sister, Ronny – she's talked about you all the time – but how do Kira Ford and the others fit in?"

"It's a long story," Tommy replied, "One we'd better tell back at your base."

"Meet us at JKP, Doc," Carter grinned, "We'll show ya how to get in."

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 0430 PM)_

"Welcome to our humble abode!" Casey grinned, leading the other Rangers into the Loft, "Come on in!"

"You guys have a basketball hoop?" Tommy chuckled, "Wow – I haven't shot some hoops in a long time." The legendary Ranger then made a perfect three-point shot.

"Okay, who here went and acquired all of my music to date?" Kira asked wryly. Carter chuckled.

"A certain Cheetah Girl of our love and acquaintance, perhaps?" the Bull Ranger winked at the sound-favoured Dino Ranger, who smirked as Lily blew a raspberry their way before going to her room to change into some 'proper clothes', "I mean, I love your music, Kira – what little I heard of it back home, anyway – but Lily's the music collector here."

"Who set up these TVs?" Rose asked in amazement, "This surveillance system is awesome; Dr. Hartford had something similar at our base!"

"RJ could tell you more, but I think your Doctor Hartford's the one who helped him set this up. I know he made the morphers, at least." Carter smiled, "Anyway, it's great to have you guys here – how long can you stay?"

"Not that long," Ronny replied, "I'm only in town because there's a race nearby this week. Kira's between albums right now, Rose came down here to see the race..."

"And I came down here to see... well, you guys," Tommy smiled sheepishly, "I'm kind of the Ranger historian; got a database of every team to date except for you, secure under the best firewalls and independent servers in the universe."

"Let me guess – the Dino Lair under your house?" Carter chuckled; Tommy glared at him.

"How do you know?" And suddenly, the euphoria of meeting other Rangers vanished in the wind – at least for Carter – as he had to withstand the glare of Tommy Oliver.

"It's... a long story," Carter grimaced, "You might not believe it."

"I've seen a lot," Tommy retorted calmly, "Try me." Carter sighed, and raised his arms, revealing the two-section Bull Morpher.

"I'm not from this universe – indeed, my home is an entirely different section of the multiverse that at last check was threatening to blow itself to pieces through the start of World War III," Carter explained, "Where I'm from; the Power Rangers are fiction – a classic TV series that spanned 17 years from 1993 until 2010. Your first team was on the air from'93 until '95, while your protégés – Power Rangers Dino Thunder – came on the air in 2004; the same time I presume your team was actually active in this universe."

"We were active then, yes... that's new, though." Tommy replied, "I know Rangers whose homes were in other regions of space, but never other universes. What about your powers, though? Half the reason I came here is because I heard Magna Defender appeared on Earth."

"Well, that's basically because he did... or rather, I did. My powers are the same as the others, for the most part; my animal spirit is augmented by the Grid to give me my power, while the Magna Defender's spirit energy and weapon supply the strength for Jungle Master Mode – which is probably how I was mistaken for him; my Jungle Master Mode is a replica of his original armour. This morpher showed up in the same area RJ had the other morphers stored," Carter replied, "He said it just... appeared – and that Hartford didn't design it."

"Obviously not," Tommy smiled, "Given it's basically a black Zeonizer."

"I guess whatever force brought me here accounted for my tastes; I always liked that morpher design – even if it's not that practical." Carter grinned sheepishly.

"Me too, Carter," Tommy chuckled; "Now if you don't mind, I think your girlfriend's getting a little jealous – she's throwing one **nasty** glare at me."

"Oh good grief... Lil, I'll be there in a sec!" Carter laughed, knowing without looking that Lily was at his bedroom door, "Honestly – just because I was trained by your actor counterpart back home..."

"Wait, what?" Tommy gaped, "Trained by my actor counterpart, you said?"

"Yeah," Carter replied nonchalantly, "Your actor counterpart, Kyoshi Jason Frank, opened a chain of four karate schools called Rising Sun Karate, so others could learn his fighting style..."

"Toso Kune Do," Tommy finished, "Okay, there's a shocker right there – Jason's the owner/operator of a similar set of five schools under that same name, in Mariner Bay, Silver Hills, Reefside, Blue Bay Harbour and here in Ocean Bluff; he teaches the same style, and I cameo at his schools when I can."

"Jason? You mean the original Red Ranger, Jason Scott?" Carter gaped. Tommy nodded.

"Okay, wow – I'll have to check that place out sometime, once things settle down here; ever since I showed up here I've always wanted to meet the guy." Carter mused, "But we're a little shorthanded in the restaurant right now; RJ's god-knows-where, our friend Fran's working her tail off as is – especially after she deciphered our identities – and the rest of us are juggling Ranger duties and this place."

"Well, if you'd like us to then we can help while we're here," Rose replied, "We know you can't actually **pay **us – not that half of us would take your money anyway; we're paid enough through our actual work! – but just helping to keep this place afloat will be an honour."

"We could use any help you can give us," Carter sighed in relief, "RJ was injured by Dai Shi, our big bad – so it's been up to me to keep the place going. The paperwork and damage control is easy, but everything else on top of that... well, even all five of us together can only do so much, and I **really** don't want to call on agency staff if I can help it."

"Good thing we showed up when we did, then," Kira smiled, "Rose, Ronny and I are here all week – what about you, Dr. O?"

"Randall has Dr. Mercer substituting for me until next Friday," Tommy replied, "When you need us, just call – the communication frequencies of any actively powered Rangers are tied to the nearest active base."

"**That's** how you found us in Stonehenge last year!" Rose realized, "I couldn't figure that out for the life of me!"

Carter chuckled softly as the other Rangers laughed uproariously. Rose blushed.

"Hey, Rose, no worries – I didn't know that either; I thought the Sentinel Knight brought them to you." Carter grinned, gently clapping the petite Pink Ranger on the shoulder as her blush darkened, "Seriously, calm down; no need to be embarrassed. Even Mensa-level geniuses aren't perfect."

"Okay," Rose smiled faintly, "You're a good man, Carter Sisko – and a good friend."

"Careful, Rose," Lily giggled, "I told him that three months ago and he's my boyfriend now."

Carter chuckled and placed an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"And a better girlfriend I will never have," the Bull Ranger and Lily shared a smile.

"C'mon, everyone," Casey murmured, "Let's go help Fran with the evening shift – I think those two," the Red Tiger motioned to Lily and Carter, who were moving to the Bull Ranger's room, "need to have a talk."

* * *

_(JKP Loft, Carter's Room, 0530 PM)_

"Okay, as flattering as your compliments to me were," Lily noted as Carter sat on his bed, "I've gotta ask you something."

"Shoot."

"You told us shortly before I was poisoned that you were 'the expendable one' – why the **hell** do you think that, Carter Benjamin Sisko!?" Carter winced as Lily used his **full** name.

"_Knew I shouldn't have told her my middle name..."_ the Bull Ranger sighed.

"You and the guys are the Chosen Three, Lil; the only ones who can destroy Dai Shi forever when the time comes. RJ's your Master, and Fran's keeping JKP afloat for **days** at a time!" he explained, "Me... what am I doing here? What positive difference am I making? I mean, you got hurt this morning, so bad that RJ and I had to pry those quills out of you – and instead of being there for you at first, all I could do was become so angry that I attacked Porcupongo with the ruthlessness of a poacher! What kind of friend is that – what kind of **person** is that!?"

"That's who you are, Carter – the kind of person who knows what it's like to lose everything, and would give your very honour to protect it! I admit I don't like what you did, but I understand it!" Lily retorted, "You told me you were alone back home and only had a few friends; heck, you were in love with Shantelle Moore, your closest friend from childhood! When she died, so did part of you – I understand that; you wouldn't be human if that didn't happen! But you're not alone anymore; you came here to save my life, and since then you've put everything you have into helping all of us! When Jellica and Camille attacked, you were at my side even after that bloody jellyfish tried to restrain us – hell; you nearly **died **defending all three of us from Jellica! What's one mistake in the wake of all **that**?"

"One mistake too many – all it did was cause more pain!" Carter snarled; turning and slamming an old punching board he'd brought from home with a four-punch combo before continuing, "My greatest fear has always been that I would give into my darkness... and hurt the ones I love."

"No way – that can't be all of it," Lily shot back, "Come on, Carter, I may not have known you for years on end, but I do **know** you; you're as human as anyone, and no more a perfectionist than any other chef. You told us all that you wanted to make a positive difference – why?"

"Because ever since Shantelle saved my life, I know no other way," Carter sagged onto his bed and into Lily's arms, "She kept me alive and saved my **soul**, Lily, just by being the awesome person she was... and you've done the same since I got here. I don't want to make a negative impact, let you down and lose that again... maybe it is selfish of me, but the pain of that loss would be devastating. Horn's challenge proved that to be true."

"It's not selfish, Carter – it's human of you. And you won't lose me; we're always together in heart, remember? We've been through so much together that we're almost a part of each other." Lily soothed as she rubbed her boyfriend's swollen knuckles, "I told you before, you've never let me down – and you never will. You're stuck with me, Bull Boy."

"I ask again – you'll willingly date a guy with the temper of a bull and the strength to match?" Carter asked dryly.

"That temper," Lily shot back in amusement, "only comes out when someone you love is badly hurt – and I love that part of you; it shows that you care beyond measure," she kissed her boyfriend, "That strength of yours has helped us so many times I have honestly stopped counting. And you forgot a few things – you're wise beyond your years, smart as anyone I've ever known, and so **kind** to everyone... not just anyone would talk to customers and calm them down when someone's terrorizing the restaurant."

"True," Carter smiled faintly, "It needed to be done, though; the customers were upset. By the time I got out there, your sisters and Rose were the only ones not already set to leave."

"See, that's why you're not 'the expendable one'," Lily smiled broadly, "Ever since we got to Ocean Bluff and especially since you showed up, I've met a lot of so-called chefs through you and RJ – on that list, no one else but you two would've considered the customers' feelings; only the lost money."

"Can't speak for RJ, but I didn't go into culinary for the money – I did it to..."

"Make a difference; I know. And you have," Lily grinned; despite the latest setback she could still finish her boyfriend's sentences, "You're not expendable, Carter; you're amazing! You're my dearest friend and my boyfriend, even if Theo's still my **best** friend. You focus so much on making a difference that you've gained the respect of every Master we've met; you even gained the respect of some of Earth's first Power Rangers!"

"Not all of them," Carter retorted with a laugh, "Still gotta meet Jason."

"You'll probably make him proud too," Lily smirked knowingly, "Just like you have all of us."

The two shared a smile and a hug before Lily threw a critical look Carter's way.

"Ah... yes, Lily?" Carter smiled sheepishly.

"Promise me something, Carter?" Lily murmured.

"Anything," Carter answered.

"Don't do anything reckless, okay? We're a team – all **four** of us." Lily replied, "Yes, I know you're not one of the Pai Zhua Guardians," she hastily added upon seeing Carter's shocked expression, "So what!? That doesn't make you any less important! Remember when Lope asked about you before we came back?"

"Yes," Carter blinked, "You gripped my arm and said I was with you – I think I've still got the wounds your fingers made." The Bull then ducked a playful swat from Lily.

"I said that you're with us because you **are**, Carter – you're as much a part of this team as Casey, and he doubted himself something fierce before you showed up!" Lily replied, "Fran's not even a Ranger or Pai Zhua, much less one of the Chosen Three – you think we look down on her for it? That we don't consider her part of the team?"

"Of course not, Lil – she's our friend!" Carter objected weakly in the wake of his girlfriend's verbal assault, "Heck, I think Theo's started training her in kung fu since she found out about us – she might become part of this team herself."

"Exactly," Lily retorted, "She's our friend; she's helped us a great deal and will do so more and more. And the same is true with you – so please, no more reckless stunts?"

"I can't promise that," Carter smiled sheepishly, "Like you said, I know what it's like to lose everything, so I'll give my life to guard what I love. But I can promise you that no matter what, I won't stop fighting until I've taken my last breath; I will not enter the Spirit World without giving every bit of strength you ask me to and then some. Not even Dai Shi at his strongest can force me to break that vow."

Lily smiled.

"I guess that's the best I can ask for," the Cheetah Ranger admitted, "Now come on, Mr. Self-Esteem-Issues – let's go help the guys with the restaurant!"

As Lily dragged her boyfriend to JKP, she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief; Carter didn't have a death wish and wasn't planning to ask for one. Later that night, though, the Cheetah Ranger took great pleasure out of her and Fran pranking him, Theo and Casey with Fran's joke with the leather jacket.

As Carter stumbled into the restaurant proper (after setting Casey and Theo to work), he shared a laugh with his girlfriend and their closest non-Ranger friend over the prank. It was in that moment that the Cheetah and the Bull, amidst the euphoria, came to realize a very important lesson.

Love and friendship, as cliché as they were, also made up the bulk of their power. So too did courage. It was those forces that would allow the six JKP employees to beat Dai Shi... even if one of them couldn't have known at that point in time that she'd be helping in future battles. Suddenly, a wolf's howl sounded outside... and Carter realized that the werewolf mess wasn't clean yet. The Wolf Ranger was about to appear. Little did the warrior from another universe realize that other individuals and forces would appear at the same time as that Ranger; indeed, the adventures to come would test the Rangers even harder than before.

None of the Jungle Fury Rangers knew that as Carter, Fran and Lily indulged in laughter, Grizzakka was returning to life – with his sights set on their collective demise.

* * *

(1) A few creative liberties on my part – I'll probably write my own take on Once A Ranger sometime.


	7. Friends, Strength, Hope

A/N: Sorry for the delay; message me if you're curious as to why said delay popped up.

All relevant disclaimers are in previous chapters bar two; the concept of 'the Uninitiated' comes from Knightwood's Jungle Fury fanfic saga, and a certain incident referred to by Jason parallels scenes from _Dino Thunder: The Legacy of Tommy Oliver _(FFN ID 5584378). Many thanks to OutlawKnight and Ace6151 for bookmarking my work, and S. Laurence, RedRangerBelt and Datara for bookmarking **and** reviewing; I hope you all know that it means a great deal to me. Further thanks to DarkPriestess66 for reigniting the fire that is my muse for this project.

This 'episode' spans the events of "Friends Don't Fade Away" – note, however, that between the presence of other Rangers and RJ's own transformation into the Wolf Ranger, things in this 'episode', just like the others, will be very different. For instance, assume that (excluding the Lily/RJ moments) Knightwood's scene of RJ facing his Wolf Spirit is what goes on in this case.

* * *

_**Jungle Fury, New Arrivals**_

_**By**_

_**Titanium Gold**_

_**Chapter 7: Friends Never Fade; Strength Never Wanes; Hope Never Dies**_

"_Better to be a lion for one day than a maggot for a hundred years." – Benito Mussolini_

"_Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." – Mohandas Ghandi_

"_A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud." – Ralph Waldo Emerson_

_

* * *

_

_(JKP Loft, Wednesday June 19__th__ 2008, 0700 A.M.)_

"Well done, Fran – you almost put me on the mat that time." Theo grinned; as he and Fran both stood at ease, each holding a pair of tonfa, the Blue Ranger had to grin. Despite it only being a month since Fran had discovered/deciphered their Ranger identities, Theo and Carter had both extended training offers to the bookworm in kung fu and karate respectively; Carter had learned a special variant of karate from his Grandpa Ben which made up at least half of his current technique. (Toso Kune Do made up the other half.)

This day was Theo's training run.

"_The more styles you know, the more you can do in battle, Fran – regardless of skill level,"_ the newest Magna Defender had explained when he offered his training alongside Theo, _"And with Dai Shi around it doesn't matter if you're a Ranger or not; just because you're associating with us you're going to need to do a lot to adequately defend yourself."_

Left unsaid was the fact that at least one of Dai Shi's highest-ranked goons (Camille) knew where the Rangers lived. The 'plucky sidekick' to the Rangers realized that fact, however, and took to her training like a duck to water as a result.

* * *

_(Jungle Karma Pizza, Wednesday June 19__th__ 2008, 10 AM)_

"Lil, watch your step out there – Fran's cleaning the floor, and I don't think she'd appreciate you stepping all over her work. Even if you're still recovering from ol' Spikey," Carter smiled at the Cheetah from in the kitchen as she headed towards the restaurant proper with two large pizzas.

"Got it, thanks," Lily grinned appreciatively at her boyfriend, "Heads up – coming through!" she yelled ahead of her as she kicked the door open, sidestepping away from the powdered cleaner almost as soon as she exited. As Lily delivered the freshly-cooked pizzas to two tables – one of them holding the Rangers' new friends, Tommy, Rose, Ronny and Kira – Theo was manning the cash register as a man in shorts and a t-shirt came into the restaurant... barefoot.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa," Theo interjected as the 'customer' tried to find a table, "You need shoes – no shoes, no shirt; no pizza." The Blue Ranger didn't see Carter breathe a sigh of relief as he came into the restaurant himself; another embarrassing incident or two from 'canon' had been averted. As the 'customer' struggled to find an argument that would work, Carter stepped up.

"See, man, it's really rather simple; 'No shoes, no shirt, no service!'" Carter read off the sign on the cash register before clapping the man on his shoulder, "Get some footwear on, and we'll have no complaints."

"Until then, you'll have to find somewhere... else..." Theo trailed off as RJ entered next to the 'customer'.

"You've got to be kidding me... not again, Boss!" Carter groaned, "C'mon, I'll take ya to the loft..."

"You call **that** a shirt?" the 'customer' retorted to JKP's XO, pointing to the strips of fabric barely covering RJ's upper body.

"I call this the owner; he can dress as he likes. Besides which, he's not on deck right now – and can't you tell he's in pain?" Carter shot back calmly as he helped RJ into the kitchen, "Fran – watch the oven; I think your pizzas are burning!" he added as he and RJ passed through the kitchen to the loft. Hearing grumbled curses as the bespectacled bookworm tried to salvage her work, Carter helped RJ upstairs.

"Alright there, Boss?" Carter asked in concern as RJ entered his room; thankfully, the Rangers were all downstairs, so he could talk freely with the battered Wolf Master, "I think your spirit's finally going feral."

"It is..." RJ grimaced as he returned to the loft with a proper shirt on, "I can't control it anymore..." Suddenly, a news article appeared on the TV.

"We're at the scene where several Ocean Bluff residents were injured last night. Witnesses say it was just past midnight when they heard strange noises, and then screams – but by the time the police arrived, the beast was gone." the anchorwoman intoned, "Victims say that the strange animal attacked without warning; too fast to see clearly, all accounts report that it had long teeth, was completely covered in fur, and had very sharp claws."

Carter narrowed his eyes in suspicion; the description seemed very familiar, and not just because he and the guys had fought RJ two weeks prior during Lily's own bout with her darker nature. As the Bull Ranger looked towards the Wolf Master, he saw the older man looking at his right hand with an expression of horror.

"_Not again..." _the dimensionally displaced warrior grimaced as RJ shut off the TV and moved to a cabinet by his room.

"RJ, wait! Boss-man, hang on a sec – I know this sitch and it's not your fault!" Carter barked.

"Who else is there, Carter!" RJ roared, stuffing shirts and a spare toothbrush into a backpack, "You heard the news – covered in fur with very sharp claws, a beast attacked last night! I woke up two hours ago on the other end of town covered in garbage; I'm no detective, but all the evidence states it had to have been me!"

"No, it wasn't, and I know why – Grizzakka has returned, and sent a beast named Monkeywi to gather fear!" Carter retorted, "**He's **the one who attacked last night, man; we were all sleeping like logs, you were A.W.O.L. – the timing was perfect for an attack!"

"Okay; say it is him. That result could be what I do to you guys!" RJ retorted, "I could transform into a werewolf and attack you!"

"You did once," Carter murmured loud enough for RJ to hear, "and we did just fine. We held you off, and you ran before inflicting any serious harm to us."

The Bull Ranger sighed as the Wolf Master ignored him.

"Look, RJ, I've been in your shoes once – scared of hurting your friends because of the darker side of your skills, unwilling to 'burden' those friends with your problems... it's not a good way to live. Your skills will atrophy, your friends will still get hurt, people will still die, and unlike when you're still their friend you won't be there to do a damn thing about it. If your friends really are your friends – **and we are, dammit!** – then they won't consider it a burden!"

"You've all got to focus on Dai Shi, though!" RJ shot back, "I'm the expendable one in all this!"

"Good grief; no wonder I'm apparently XO when Casey's not in the field." Carter groaned, "You and I share the same thought process; I said the same thing when the others and I fought Porcupongo the first time, remember? And that didn't turn out **nearly** the way I'd planned!"

"Yes, well... you're a Ranger, Carter." RJ sighed.

"And so are you, RJ, even if only in spirit for now." Carter replied, "You've got the Wolf Morpher in storage, waiting for the right time to use it – just like I waited for the right time to use my powers. But there **is** no right time, man – not now; with Grizzakka active, you've gotta find a way to get back in balance if we want to win! Meditate, heal your wolf's injury, and join us out there – but most importantly, don't run off half-cocked on your own; when it comes to Pai Zhua and Ranger stuff, you're our teacher... but in problems and life, you're our friend."

"All right, Carter!" RJ groaned, setting the backpack next to his room door, "All right... you win. Damn, you're a stubborn one."

"Will of the Bull, RJ." Carter rumbled with a grin, "And **this** Bull never quits. Now do whatever you've got to do to heal. If you need Dr. Hartford's help, I'll hold things down here."

"Thanks, dude," RJ smiled tiredly, "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go for a walk – no, I'm not going to run away; I just need the fresh air." He added as Carter's eyes narrowed, "Who knows? I might find a good spot to meditate. You just get back to the kitchen; the others need you. I'll be fine."

"See you out there, then," Carter smiled, heading back to the pizza parlour.

* * *

_(1200 PM, JKP Loft)_

"Being in the animal form is too powerful for the human spirit to handle for long – at least outside of combat." RJ groaned; the Wolf Master had just battled the three primary Rangers in **his** animal form, letting Monkeywi escape after a brief battle with the beast.

"It overcharges every part of you – mind, body, soul and spirit – with energy, similar to when a Ranger morphs. In this case, though, I was overloaded with wild, feral, uncontrollable energy from my animal spirit; if I let that energy loose too long in a noncombat situation... that fur doesn't go away."

"You mean... you'd be stuck?" Theo asked, "As a werewolf?"

"Exactamundo," RJ answered as Fran wiped sweat off his brow with a towel.

"Then we've got to find a way to get you back in control." Casey noted.

"Well, unless you can crawl into my head," RJ replied, "this is one mess only I can undo. Until then, I'm a danger you've got to steer clear of."

"That's crap and you know it, Boss; I told you before, you're not a danger – you're our friend." Carter retorted flatly, "Yeah, the others had to hold ya down out there, but think about it – any wounded animal would attack anyone that appears to be an aggressor, and I mean **anyone**. I love Lily more than words can describe, and my Bull Spirit's normally in surprisingly good synch with her Cheetah, but if the Bull was wounded like your wolf is now and Lily stood in its path... I hate to admit it, but for all the self-control the Bull and I have, he'd certainly do the same thing your wolf is doing."

The group grimaced at the mental image.

"What do you suggest, then?" RJ asked, "Like I said, none of you can crawl into my mind."

"No, we can't. But you can, RJ – it's your mind, and the wound is to your spirit above anything else." Carter replied, "The Wolf is also solely your spirit, and only you can give it power. You told us shortly before we obtained Jungle Master Mode to go back to basics, yes?" the Bull continued at RJ's nod, directing his next question to the Rangers, "How do they teach you to work in harmony with your animal spirits at Pai Zhua?"

"Deep meditation," Theo replied, "As cubs we meditate periodically, for days – sometimes months – to find our animal spirit."

"When we do find the spirit," Lily added, "We forge a connection with it – let it know that we're here and that we mean no harm."

"And that," Carter grinned at his friends, "is the solution." As Lily and Theo's expressions turned thoughtful as they mused on the matter, Casey blinked in cluelessness.

"Okay, guys, I'm a little confused – I don't remember any of this; my first interaction with my Tiger Spirit was when I called it into that roar I threw at Jarrod when all this began," the Red Ranger admitted, "You mean that's not how everyone does it?"

"You're in a league of your own, Casey; so is Carter, come to think of it." RJ admitted, "They're called the Uninitiated; humans that are so in tune with their animal spirits in spite of a lack of training, that they can call on them and their power."

"I remember," Theo interjected, "Some Masters estimated that the Uninitiated were less than a hundredth of a percent of Earth's overall population."

"Those who can summon their animal spirits – like Casey and Carter – are rarer still; the Masters thought it impossible in the extreme that any two Uninitiated would ever cross paths at all." RJ admitted, "There's a constant problem, though, with the unity between the Uninitiated and their spirits – at least until they're trained properly."

"I know the story," Carter grimaced, "The Uninitiated aren't initially trained in deep meditation techniques; therefore they're not unified with their spirits, so the spirit drains off their life energy until such harmony is achieved – if it ever is. In a way, I got lucky; when I first actively practiced summoning my Bull Spirit out here, the meditation I've trained in all my life helped create that unity. Any of the others would probably feel like the dead just summoning their spirit for the first time."

"That's true; when my Tiger augmented that roar, I was so slagged afterwards..." Casey grimaced, "Guess I didn't get so lucky, huh?"

"To be fair, bro," Carter chuckled, "You were only at Pai Zhua a little while – and you haven't trained in martial arts for most of your life."

"How do you know **any** of this, Carter?" Theo asked, "You haven't been to the temple yet; all the Uninitiated information is only stored there."

"Remember, back home you guys were a TV show – a very well-known TV show," the Bull Ranger grinned, "There's fanfiction – stories written by fans the world over – in my world that portrays various individual takes on several Ranger sagas. One of my favourites is set in this 'season' and mentions this very subject."

RJ chuckled wearily, and then grimaced as his head started pounding with pain. Suddenly, the alarm went off – and the four active Rangers saw Monkeywi on the surveillance system.

"Carter, stay with RJ – the three of us will-"

"I'll stay with him," Fran cut Casey off, "I'm no Ranger, but thanks to all of you I can probably hold off RJ if he attacks – and you guys will need all the help you can get."

"Are the others available?" Lily asked the Bull Ranger, "Fran's right; we might need some help."

"Tommy for sure," Carter replied, "He told us as much; but I won't know about the rest until I call them."

"Send the signal, then," Casey ordered, "Let's go!"

* * *

_(Ocean Bluff Warehouse District, 1220 PM)_

"Hey, Monkey Boy – we're over here!" Casey roared as the four Rangers moved to attack Monkeywei. Unfortunately, that was all the verbal sparring that could be done – as Lily was quickly sent flying back into Carter, the battle was almost immediately down to Casey and Theo to win. And unfortunately, the duo was getting tossed around like rag dolls even as they attacked in synch.

"Ugh…" Carter groaned, "Lil, I love you, but we've gotta stop meeting like this... you okay?" Carter blinked the stars out of his vision.

"Sore... but I'll live," Lily groaned, rolling off the Bull Ranger and sitting up, "Are the others coming?"

"Tommy's on his way with a friend; Kira's having a lie-in and Ronny's got a practice run for her race – other than that we're on our own, because Rose is with Ronny." Carter grimaced, "Not good odds at all."

"Doesn't matter, Carter," Lily retorted, "Right now we've gotta take down this caveman, no matter what!"

"Let's do it!" Carter stood alongside Lily and moved to attack alongside her, Bull Blade and Jungle Bo shining in the daylight... unfortunately for them, even their base weapons weren't enough. As Carter automatically transformed into his Jungle Master Mode he quickly found that even the Magna Power wasn't enough either. But as two Red Rangers flipped over him and Lily as they stumbled back from Monkeywi's attack, the couple had to grin – especially as they noticed the extra armour on one of the Reds.

Jason and Tommy had arrived; and while the Rangers had half-expected the assistance of Zeo Ranger V, the presence of the Mighty Morphin Red Ranger was a shock and a relief to everyone there. The Dragon Shield and Dragon Dagger Jason possessed was a greater shock still – Carter in particular didn't know how the armour of his oldest colour-based predecessor had survived so long.

"Let's give them a hand, guys!" Casey yelled, summoning the Shark Sabres and moving to assist his partners-in-color. Lily picked up her Jungle Bo and followed suit, while Theo brought out his tonfa and joined the attack. Surprisingly, Monkeywi held off all six of them – even Jason, augmented as his strength was by two doses of Mighty Morphin Ranger power, couldn't do more than stalemate with Monkeywi. But as he drew his own twin blades and moved to join the fight, the Bull Ranger noticed something... as did Casey, once he rolled to a stop next to him. Jason and Tommy pulled back from the assault also, taking note of the tension in their friends' shoulders.

"This guy's got a bulls-eye painted on Lily..." Casey groaned as he stood up, "We've gotta stop him, or he'll open all her injuries from the bout with Porcupongo!"

"And we will," Carter snarled, "No one hurts Lily without dealing with us! Blades, power up!" The Bull and Magna Blades shone a bright green as Carter's spirit fed them extra power.

"Shark Sabres combine!" Casey ordered, suddenly holding a larger, longer sword in both hands, "Let's bring it!"

And so they did. Unfortunately, not even six Rangers, five of them at full power, were enough to keep Monkeywi from his current goal; attacking Lily, who was currently weakened from Monkeywi's relentless assault. As the Cheetah Ranger fell to the ground once more with Monkeywi between her and her downed comrades, the beast advanced on her. Pulling back in an effort to gather strength, Lily closed her eyes and prepared her Cheetah spirit for one final attack...

...and then heard a bang as Monkeywi hit what sounded like solid steel. Opening her eyes, Lily saw Carter – who had stood back up and moved to defend her. Indeed, he was holding Monkeywi back with little more than his forearms and willpower.

"I know most girls are lucky to have a knight in shining armour...!" Carter ground out as he struggled to maintain a foothold, "Lily, I hope you don't mind... if my armour's a little... **blacker** then most...!"

"Carter..." Lily gasped as she finally sat up. _"Dammit, he's doing it again!"_

"Your friends were no match for me, Bull Ranger – and neither are you!" Monkeywi growled, pushing Carter back a step.

"Maybe not... but I don't **have** to be!" the Bull Ranger retorted, pushing Monkeywi back two steps in return, "Your defeat is inevitable, banana-breath; I'm just holding you off until your executioner arrives!" the newest Magna Defender suddenly kicked off Monkeywi and flipped over him, landing with one foot each on Tommy and Jason's shoulders as he drew his swords.

"Go for it, newbie!" Jason grinned, "We've got your back!"

"Thanks!" Carter replied, flipping forward with both his swords glowing green, "Full power!"

As the Bull and Magna Blades both hit Monkeywi, followed by the original and Zeo Power Swords, the beast was sent reeling in pain... but as Carter stood in his stance alongside Jason and Tommy, the monkey wasn't out yet.

"Dammit – what's it take to beat this guy!" Casey complained from behind Monkeywi. Suddenly, a Wolf spirit appeared, tearing into the monster with vicious force before returning to its owner.

"A little extra help, perhaps?" RJ grinned, his aura glowing purple, "Hey, Monkey Man – maybe I can give you the challenge you're looking for!"

"Bring it!" Monkeywi retorted. RJ's roguish grin suddenly turned into a wolfish, almost feral smirk, as he revealed the Wolf Morpher on his wrist.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

Transforming into the Violet Wolf Ranger, much to Monkeywi's shock – to say nothing of the veteran Rangers' – RJ prepared a guard.

"With the Courage of a Wolf..."

The Wolf Master took his stance, glaring at the monkey that dared to attack his students... his **friends**.

"...Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger!"

RJ then launched himself into a powerful assault, destroying Monkeywi's summoned battalion of Rinshi Warriors by the dozen in a strong, swift series of attacks. Firing an energy beam from his Wolf Morpher, RJ decimated the last of the enemy foot soldiers... and then turned towards Monkeywi. However, the youngest of the remaining Pai Zhua Masters noticed Lily crawling towards Carter – who was gripping his right wrist in pain even as he moved towards Lily – while Casey and Theo guarded them. The Wolf within RJ seethed at the injustice of the situation.

"Stay back for now, guys... this one's mine." RJ snarled. Monkeywi realized (shortly after the rather painful beating from RJ that followed) that rather than weakening the resolve of the Wolf, his emphasis on weakening the Bull and Cheetah Rangers had given him strength that could only be brought forth via lunatic rage. The minion of Grizzakka attempted to flee through Ocean Bluff, but that was when Jason and Tommy stepped in – fleeing monkey met two Power Swords and a Dragon Dagger before falling to the ground. Monkeywi's last sight before his destruction was RJ, Tommy and Jason powering up their weapons for a final strike.

"That was for our friends, Banana Breath." Tommy muttered darkly. Jason and RJ nodded in agreement.

"You guys okay?" RJ asked his teammates.

"We're fine," Theo replied, "Well, Casey and I, anyway; Carter and Lil..."

"We'll live," Carter chuckled, and then grimaced as he rotated his wrist, "Power's fixing the injuries already."

"I'm just tired now, RJ." Lily grimaced, "Damn, that ape was relentless."

"Not bad for your first morph, though," Tommy grinned, "Much better than my first day."

"Or mine," Casey chuckled.

"Oh, ya liked that?" RJ grinned. Suddenly, the sky darkened as Monkeywi was revived and supersized by dark energies.

"Let's do it, guys!" Casey barked.

"You want some help?" Tommy asked, "Red Battlezord's still active; it should be able to support you."

"We'd appreciate it." Casey replied.

Carter smiled stiffly under his helmet, "It took all of us to fight Monkeywi on the ground – any extra Zords we can fight him with are greatly appreciated."

"Then you've got them – but only for today," Jason smirked.

"Bull Spirit, Transform!" Carter ordered, summoning his Bull Spirit before vanishing into it as it transformed, "Bull Pride Torozord!"

"Animal Spirits, Unite – Jungle Pride Megazord!" Casey, Lily and Theo chorused before vanishing as well. RJ smiled up to his students while Tommy and Jason grinned.

"Impressive looking Zords," Jason chuckled.

"Impressive looking fighters," Tommy retorted wryly.

"Get up there and join 'em, Tommy." RJ ordered, "Jason and I will see you up there if you need us."

Tommy grinned and raised his right wrist to his helmet, "Red Battlezord, now!"

The legendary Red Zeo Ranger then vanished in a blaze of equally scarlet energy.

* * *

As the Red Battlezord spun through the air, the Jungle Pride was in the 'canon' battle against Monkeywi – and Lily was in serious pain because of it. Even the Bull Pride's presence didn't faze Monkeywi for more than a moment; the supersized beast sent that Megazord reeling with a series of attacks. Thankfully, the Battlezord chose that moment to barge in, firing a series of cannon blasts at the monkey and forcing him away from his original target.

"So you want to interfere, do ya?" Monkeywi smirked at the Battlezord, "Give it your best shot!" Suddenly, the beast screeched as he was hit from behind by an energy attack from the Bull Pride.

"Ask and you shall receive!" Carter chuckled from in the Torozord, even as it took up a guard stance with its axe. Lily sighed in relief as the pain finally subsided to a manageable level and the Jungle Pride stood tall... before it kneeled on the Jaguar leg, and the Cheetah Ranger's vision whited out for a moment. She dimly registered a moan of pain coming from her own mouth.

"Lily!" Theo cried, "Carter, forget tired – she's hurt!"

"I know; hold on, Lily! Help's on the way!" Carter bellowed through their com-link as the other two Zords held Monkeywi at bay with fists and weapons alike.

"More help...?" Lily grinned tiredly, "RJ's coming up here?"

"Got that right – and we'll all beat this guy together!" the Bull replied, "Just stay conscious, Cheetah Girl; don't give up!"

"I'm trying, Bull-Boy... for you, I'm giving all I have..." Lily groaned, inwardly grimacing as she stood tall – her spirit was hurt, she was tired; the combination resulted in her feeling like slag... but she would do her best for her friends, and especially for the man who gave her strength unmeasured.

Unfortunately, the fatigue and the injuries overwhelmed what Lily had to give; as the other Zords held Monkeywi in a lock, she collapsed into Casey as their enemy hit all the Zords with a powerful radial attack.

"Carter, we've gotta do something – Lily can't take much more!" Casey barked, holding the fallen Yellow Ranger in his arms.

"I know, bro; her Cheetah's fading out here!" Carter growled. Suddenly, the four Zord-using Rangers heard a wolf's howl... and a dragon's roar. Tommy smirked under his helmet, while the others gaped – even Carter – as two other Zords entered the fray.

"Rangers," RJ barked from within the inbound Wolf Zord, "Hang on!"

"Help's on the way!" Jason added from the roof of a nearby building, blowing a tune into the Dragon Dagger; as a result the Dragonzord stomped onto the battlefield proper and swung its spinning drill tail at Monkeywi, connecting with a painful strike before blasting him with missiles from its right hand. Afterwards, RJ's Wolf Zord connected with a painful spinning strike of its own. Lily watched through half-lidded eyes as the Bull Pride slashed furiously at Monkeywi with its axe before the Red Battlezord hit the beast with a flurry of punches.

"Carter...?" she breathed.

"Lily – stay strong!" Carter replied, noticing the Cheetah spirit warping, "Don't you fall on me now; we need you! **I** need you!"

"He's right, Lil; save your strength!" Casey added.

"Give him hell, Carter..." Lily stretched an arm towards the battling Bull Pride even as she fell to a knee, dragging Casey with her, "I... love you..."

"**LILY!" **Carter roared as he saw her spirit fade completely – the Bull ranger then cried out in pain as Monkeywi blasted the Torozord hard, sending it to the ground, "Dammit... We can't give up...!"

"She's spent, Carter," Casey retorted, admiration warring with desolation in his eyes as he watched Carter's damaged Spirit Zord and Lily both try to stand, "There's nothing we can do; it's all up to the veterans now!"

"Wrong, Casey," RJ replied, "There's something **I** can do to help. Let's get the Jungle Pride back on its feet! Wolf Spirit, combine!"

The Wolf Zord took the vacant spot left by Lily's Cheetah, and the Jungle Pride was re-energized as a result – the Megazord glowed purple as the Wolf Spirit gave it more power. At the same time, Jason moved from the rooftops to the cockpit within the Dragonzord for better control of the Zord itself, before helping Tommy in his battle.

"What about Carter?" Theo asked as he, RJ and Casey stood tall, "He's down!"

"Not yet I'm not, T..." Carter groaned, sprawled on his back in the Bull Pride's cockpit. Lifting his head slightly, the Bull Ranger grinned as he watched the Red Battlezord and the Dragonzord struggle against Monkeywi, "Just need a little help... a little more spirit energy! I can maintain the Zord, but... moving it requires power I just don't have."

"Send me to him, guys." Lily croaked from next to Casey as the new Torozord slowly stood to one knee, "I'll give him my energy."

"No way, Lil – you're tired out; anymore energy use and you'll demorph! You might even kill yourself; you're talking about pushing your spirit harder than anyone ever has!" Theo retorted.

"It's worth it for him, Theo – never mind my spirit; I'd give my **life** for Carter just as much as I would for the fight against Dai Shi!" Lily shot back fiercely, "You'd do the same for Fran and you know it!"

"I would," Theo murmured. Casey also nodded in understanding; despite the fact his love for Lily was platonic – not romantic like Carter's – he'd do the same for her.

"You're sure about this, Lily?" RJ asked. She nodded vehemently. "Alright, then; the Wolf has got you covered."

"Thanks, RJ," Lily smiled.

"Casey, Theo, follow my lead! Tommy, Jason, give us a minute!" RJ ordered.

"We'll give you five if need be – just get your team up and running, RJ!" Jason retorted, "These Zords may be tough, but I don't think they were built to handle spirits for long!"

As the Dragonzord and Battlezord held Monkeywi at bay with missiles and cannon blasts, the Jungle Pride Megazord walked towards the downed Bull Pride and extended a hand.

"Need a hand, Carter?" Casey asked, "We've got your back."

"Could use a boost, bro," Carter chuckled breathily, "But I don't think we can summon a Jungle Pride Torozord to accomplish that; these aren't the Zeo Zords."

"You're right; we can't combine that way." RJ chuckled, "But we can give you that boost."

"I'm coming over," Lily added tiredly, yet determinedly, "Just grab our hand and I'll be transported to your Megazord; my spirit can't form a Zord of its own right now, but it can give yours a boost with the energy I've got left."

"You can last through the rest of the battle, Lil?" Carter asked, "Even with all the pain? 'Cause I know you're reeling right now."

"I can last, Bull-Boy." Lily smirked, "After all, I'll be with you."

"Then let's do it," he grinned, "It's like you said after Porcupongo; together, we can do anything!"

* * *

Tommy would spend a few hours later on examining the battle footage, just to double-check that what he saw was true – but as he and Jason held Monkeywi at bay he saw the Jungle Pride Megazord pull the Bull Pride Torozord to its feet... and then a yellow stream of energy passed between the two Megazords' connected arms, seeming to re-energize the Bull Pride and repair the cracks in its armour. As the transfer completed, the stronger Megazord healed completely and stood tall on its own, glowing green with yellow highlights, its eyes and horns glowing a bright gold.

"Whoa... was that what I think it was?" the Red Zeo Ranger asked as he pulled the Battlezord away, allowing Monkeywi to watch as the Torozord assumed its combat stance.

"If you think it was a recharge, then you're right!" Carter laughed as the Dragonzord smashed Monkeywi with its tail again, "Torozord back in action and at your service – thanks to Lily!"

"Everyone fall in line!" Casey barked, "Let's finish this guy once and for all!"

As the four Zords stood in a row Jason smirked, pulling a trigger in front of him, "Dragonzord Missiles!"

"Defender Axe, full power!" Carter and Lily ordered.

"Red Battlezord, Fire!" Tommy barked.

"Spin Fury!" RJ, Casey and Theo commanded; the Jungle Pride Megazord with Wolf Power launched its ultimate attack at Monkeywi alongside the cannon blasts, missiles and energy strike from the other three Zords. The multiple blasts hit Monkeywi with so much force that – when the smoke cleared – there was nothing left; not even stone debris.

"Power Rangers Jungle Fury!" the five current Rangers chorused as the Megazords assumed their finishing stances.

* * *

_(JKP Loft, 430 PM)_

"Hey, Tommy, Jason – thanks a million!" RJ grinned, "It was an honour fighting with you!"

"Anytime, RJ," Tommy smiled at Earth's newest Wolf Ranger, "Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger, remember?"

"Got that right," Jason chuckled, "Besides, the honour was all ours – you five are an awesome team, and I don't think your numbers are complete yet."

"They're not even close." Carter chuckled. "Not that I'm complaining, Jason – hell, like RJ said; it was an honour fighting with you – but what're you doing here?" he asked, helping Lily to a chair, "I mean... this never happened in canon. Hell, I thought the Green Ranger powers died completely?"

"Hey, from what you've told us I never showed up here in 'canon' either; neither did Kira or the Overdrive Rangers." Tommy retorted wryly.

"Touché," Carter smirked.

"As for your questions," Jason grinned, "the Green Powers are still there – but I only use them to the same, rare degree I did before. Tommy called me; told me that there was something I should see. He was right; I know about Magna Defender, but I didn't know he was back."

"He's not – well, not the **first** one," Lily replied in amused tiredness, "Turns out the original Magna Defender was a **really** old fallen Pai Zhua Master; he gave Mike Corbett his powers ten years ago so they and Terra Venture wouldn't be lost to oblivion. Recently he gave Carter his powers too, as an upgrade during a quest to the Spirit World. Casey, Theo and I got something similar from three other Masters; a boost called Jungle Master Mode, which we all got to rescue RJ from Dai Shi. We ended up fighting Dai Shi directly right after getting the boost too."

"And you were the only one who used the upgrade today?" Jason asked Carter.

"Carter's powers are... a little different, even without Magna Defender's help," RJ replied, "Each of our spirits are used to fuel our respective Ranger powers, but Carter and Casey are more in tune with their spirits than any of the rest of us could ever be with our own. When their emotions run higher than usual during battle, the respective spirit energy reacts the same way. With Lily being targeted so relentlessly and the battle being as fierce as it was, Carter's emotions were so strong that it's not surprising he tapped into his Jungle Master Mode – or that Monkeywi only did a little damage to him in the end."

"Almost like the Ninja powers, bro," Tommy mused, "Our emotions gave them power; hell, half the reason I beat Zedd when he and I fought back then was because of the extra power the Falcon was given by my emotions."

"I remember," Carter sighed, looking towards Lily – who smiled tiredly towards him, "I hope that doesn't happen with me."

"It won't, Carter," Tommy smiled, "You and Lily are in a stronger relationship than I ever was with Kim at your age; even if Dai Shi does hit full power, and even if you do fight him directly again, I'm sure you'll all be just as strong by then."

"We will be," Casey grinned, "Carter's showing us moves from his style, we're all training hard in our own... I think we'll be fine when the final fight comes."

"And we're always here to help – so is any other Ranger who still has their powers," Jason grinned, "Matter of fact... Casey, Carter – mind if we talk for a bit?"

"No problem," Casey grinned, "Carter, mind if we use your room?"

"No worries; I've got nothing to hide," Carter smiled towards Jason, "C'mon, old timer – I'll show ya the way."

"Old timer, you say?" Jason laughed, "I'm not so old that I can't beat you in a spar, kid."

"Knock it off, you two," Casey laughed as Carter beckoned the two Red Rangers into his room, "We can spar later. What's up?"

"You two are brothers, aren't you?" Jason asked, "Not by blood, I mean – but like me and Tommy."

"We are," Carter nodded with a smile.

"And it's awesome – I've got no brothers, older or otherwise, so Carter's the best of both worlds," Casey grinned, "An older sibling I can go to for help and a brother to fight with."

"I'm going to assume he means spar and not argue," Carter joked.

"Me too," Jason chuckled, "Just remember something important – as much as all five of you are a team, the two of you are a team all your own. Use each other's strengths as a boost to your own individual power, and never give up."

"What about Lily?" Casey asked, "In our own ways, we're 'sub-teams' with her too."

"Don't give that up – either of you." Jason answered, "You both love her in your own ways; she's your girlfriend, Carter – and Casey, you've made it clear that Lily's like a sister to you. Whatever anyone tells you, those bonds are **not** weaknesses; in fact, they're just the opposite – friendship and love might just be your greatest strength. Combine that teamwork with your bonds to each other and you'll all be just fine. Even Theo – because I know in his own way he's a brother to both of you."

"He's a brother to all of us, actually," Casey smirked, "Well, except maybe Fran; I think she's crushing on him big time."

"Too bad my matchmaking days are long over," Jason teased, "Or I might have a few ideas."

"Leave it to Lily – I'm sure she's noticed their **very** mutual attraction," Carter snickered, "Seriously, man – thanks for this. It's always nice to be reminded of what your strength is."

"Don't thank me yet, Carter," Jason smirked, "There's one other reason Tommy called me in. You and I are going to Silver Hills."

"Silver Hills?" Carter blinked, "Why there?"

"Reason's twofold," Jason explained, "I've got some friends there I want you to meet – except for one of them, who's the heir-apparent to Bio-Lab and thus can't drop in as often as he would like, the others are co-workers at my dojo out there."

"Where you're going to train me in Toso Kune Do, right?" Carter asked, piecing together the second reason, "I know you use that style now... you've got other Rangers at that dojo, don't you?"

"Exactly," Jason grinned, "I've also got an intensive program at the Rising Sun Karate Academy out there – for your part, it'll see you jump from your current rank to a first-degree black belt in Toso Kune Do by August if we start tomorrow."

"I'll be gone nearly **two** **months**?" Carter gaped, "Lily is going to tear me apart when she finds out!"

"Actually," the woman in question interjected wryly from the doorway, "Lily already knows – and I say you should do it." Casey raised an eyebrow at the current Yellow Ranger as she tiredly limped towards the group; Carter, on the other hand, gaped at her – and the next thing he knew, he was holding her in his arms as they both sat on his bed.

"You're not kidding, are you?" he asked.

"No way; you need this!" Lily retorted, "You've made it clear you miss your home, even if it wasn't much of one – and training in your fighting style's the closest you're going to get until we find a way back for you."

"But I can't leave you for this; Dai Shi's still out there!" Carter shot back.

"We can handle it," Casey grinned, "RJ's a Ranger now, after all."

"You came here with a green belt, Carter." Jason added, "Well, I've talked with RJ a little bit on the competence level of a Guardian – they're normally at least first degree black belts by karate standards."

"And with me at green belt, even with my skills..." Carter grimaced, "I'm a weak link compared to the others."

"Don't you phrase it that way, Carter; you are **not** weak!" Lily heatedly replied, "Just the opposite; in your own way you're the strongest of all five of us! You saved my life **twice**, remember?" the blonde dancer took a calming breath before continuing, "You just need to upgrade your skill set, Bull-Boy, and this will let you do it. Since I know your training relaxes you more than anything else..."

"I'd be a fool to ignore this, wouldn't I Cheetah Girl?" Carter chuckled, "What do you think, bro?" he asked Casey.

"I think you should do it," Casey replied, "Look – we've held down the fort without you before; you've seen that. And you know that with enough time we could beat Dai Shi without you."

"We won't, though," Lily added, "Because you're part of the team, Carter. But we're fresh out of Pai Zhua Masters and **you need this**. Ever since Jellica arrived... you haven't been the same. You're still the great guy I know and love, but lately you've..."

"Been shorter-tempered than usual?" Carter finished sardonically, "What do you expect? Jellica targeted you herself; Porcupongo and Monkeywi both emphasized attacking you more than any of us – call me old-fashioned, but I couldn't let direct attacks on the woman I love go unanswered!"

"Maybe, but while I appreciate that... I won't let you lose yourself to your rage, Carter – you're so much better than that." Lily shot back, "You need to relax, and it's clear making pizzas and helping us isn't doing that for you anymore."

"She's right," Jason added, "You're just like I was after Zedd was through wrecking Tommy's Green Ranger powers; around your friends and loved ones your soul's peaceful, but alone it's almost completely submerged in anger. Whether it's righteous or otherwise, that anger means you're making this personal – and once you make the situation personal, your judgment's shot to hell. Like Zordon did for me all those years ago, we've got to temper that anger; channel it into your skills – or you'll lose your edge. Maybe even become just as bad as Dai Shi."

"I could never become like that eight-headed bastard, Jason," Carter retorted flatly, "What I was doing was fighting for a loved one – I admit it was in anger, but the concept was still there! Dai Shi doesn't even know **how** to love, much less what the emotion is!"

"It doesn't take long to go from fighting in anger, righteous or otherwise, to becoming something much worse – someone who just does not care." Tommy replied in a tone laced with steel, "You need a break."

"We will be fine, Carter – go, relax; learn martial arts, make some friends in Silver Hills." Casey ordered, "Then you can save all our butts from the monster du jour in six weeks when ya get back." He added teasingly.

"And you can teach us even more moves," Lily smirked before kissing Carter on the corner of his mouth. "Find your control again, Carter Sisko; I'll be here when you get back."

"We all will," RJ smiled as he entered the Bull Student's room alongside an oddly silent Theo, "You just take a break from all this – you've helped every one of us all day, every day for the last two months; it's clear you've reached an impasse. Either you stay here, keep fighting alongside us, and eventually stagnate in your passion for your crafts – or go on a break, relax, and find your balance again."

"Guess I have reached a limit, haven't I?" Carter smiled sheepishly at his teammates before turning to Jason, "Alright, I'll do it."

"Good," RJ replied, "Consider this a month's vacation – unpaid, mind you, but you'll still be on the roster come August."

"Thanks, Boss," Carter smirked.

"Just kick some butt, Carter; show the Rangers out there how the Pai Zhua does things in the martial arts world." the first Violet Ranger responded wryly, "That's all I ask."

"You do realize my style's not **technically** Pai Zhua?" the Bull Ranger retorted in the same teasing tone.

The group of Rangers shared a laugh.

"We'll leave in the morning; get to Silver Hills for lunch," Jason grinned at his new student, "It'll give you time to relax, say goodbye to your friends."

The smiles from the Jungle Fury team – especially Carter and Lily – could have lit up the room.

* * *

_(JKP Loft, Thursday June 20__th__ 2008, 1000 A.M.)_

The five Jungle Fury Rangers stood in a row, in a descending order of experience, all of them in their training jerkins as Jason stood in front of them. Tommy, meanwhile, was sitting at the top of the stairs with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"_Ah, bro, you just __**love**__ doing this to the new guys, don't ya?"_ the former Black Dino Thunder Ranger mused, _"First the Reds six years ago, now this..."_

"From what Tommy's told me and what I've seen, you guys are doing an awesome job," Jason grinned as he paced in front of the five before stopping in front of the newest Wolf Ranger, "RJ, the Wolf suits you. I admit that none of us have seen a Violet Ranger, though – even if Andros' sister came damn close once."

"What can I say?" RJ grinned, "I like being original."

"Well, that originality is sure to keep the bad guys guessing," Jason chuckled before shaking RJ's hand, "Keep it up, buddy." He then moved down the line, standing in front of Theo.

"Well, I'll definitely admit – you're a lot shorter than any other Blue Ranger I've met, Theo," Earth's first Red Ranger joked, having to incline his head just to look Theo in the eye.

"Hey!"

"You do have the first Blue Ranger's mind, though, and the fire of every other Blue that's come since then." Jason grinned, "And you're just as organized, too. Keep the fire burning within you, and keep your mind sharp – you'll probably need them both in the battles ahead."

"Thanks," Theo smiled, shaking Jason's hand before the older Ranger moved down the line again, stopping at Lily.

"What?" Lily smiled wryly as Jason's expression turned thoughtful, "No speech?"

"Actually, Lily, I'm trying to think of a way to phrase things that'll keep your boyfriend from tearing me apart in the ring – 'cause as good as I am, he **will** tear me apart if I screw this up." Jason grinned, repressing laughter as Lily elbowed Carter in the ribs.

"Don't hurt him **too** much, C," the Cheetah student warned, "He's a veteran, remember?"

"Ye gods, Cheetah Girl, are you trying to puncture a lung?" Carter groaned dramatically. Jason broke out in laughter.

"Okay, this is all worth it just to see your dynamic," He gasped, "Seriously, Lily, you're every bit as tough as the original Yellow Ranger – and she's my wife now, so I definitely know what I'm talking about. Granted, you're a lot louder than Trini has ever been, but you've definitely got her strength. Especially if you're keeping a stubborn Bull like Carter in line; he's got willpower like Tommy and I, and as Trini and Kim would both tell you **that** takes a lot to control."

"What can I say?" Lily grinned, "I love a challenge – and while Bull-Boy here has willpower like yours, he's also as close to a prince as I'll ever meet."

"Funny," Jason mused, "Trini said the same about me, and I'm no prince; just disciplined."

"Amen to that, brotha." Carter muttered; wincing as Lily threw him a glare. Jason chuckled at the dynamic of the duo in front of him.

"When your boy gets back, Lily... take care of him," Earth's oldest Red Ranger requested, "and take care of the team. You're their heart, after all – and by then, Tommy, Kira and I will be back at our respective homes; unless more friends show up to help, you'll only have each other."

"I will; you and your friends just train Carter well," Lily replied, pulling Jason into a hug instead of shaking his hand, "I'm gonna miss you guys... heck, we'll all miss you."

"And we'll miss you, Lily. Your predecessors would be very proud of you – believe that." Jason smiled, hugging Lily back before pulling away and moving to Carter – who was currently rubbing his right side.

"I must admit, I've never seen a Green Ranger quite so similar to Tommy until now," Jason smirked.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Carter smiled, "Back home Tommy Oliver is **very **well-known in the Power Ranger fandom for his courage, strength, and selflessness."

"He's well-known among the Rangers for that too," Jason grinned, "And I get the feeling you'll be well-known among the Rangers as well, whether you go home or not."

"I hope you don't expect me to go Technicolor like your bro, though," Carter joked, "I might go Red or Blue someday, but otherwise I'm good as is."

"Please, man, **don't** do what Tommy did – you'll probably scare Lily to death!" Jason retorted in mild annoyance, "When Mesogog arrived four years ago, Tommy tapped into all his remaining Power – the Red Zeo Sub-crystal and the tattered wreckage of his Green Ranger powers – several times before gaining the Black Dino Gem. The stunt nearly killed him when he first did it – I should know; I helped him back on his feet – until his body adapted to the power use again. Kim, Hayley, and I were all terrified he'd bite the bullet at first."

"Whoa... okay, probably won't do anything **that** crazy," Carter admitted, "Besides, you guys tap into the oldest sections of the Grid; the Zeo Crystal and the Power Coins; all I've got is my Bull Spirit. It's a Grid link, yes, but if all goes well I won't let it go unused for long even after this is over."

"Good," Jason smiled, "You might be a rookie, but you're one hell of a Ranger, Carter – easily as worthy of the mantle as Tommy. And once we get that temper of yours refocused, you'll be even better."

"Thank you," Carter smiled sheepishly, his childhood 'aw, shucks' personality coming to the forefront, "I'm only doing what's right for others."

"Keep on that path as best you can, and you'll be just fine." Jason grinned, clapping Carter on the shoulder before moving to Casey – the last in line under the current roster. Jason's mouth quirked in amusement as he recalled something the current team had joked about in his presence.

"You seriously couldn't morph your first day, Rookie?" Jason chuckled. Casey blushed as the memory of that day flashed through his mind; the other Rangers held back various humorous responses, though Lily couldn't help throwing a wry grin in Casey's direction anymore than Carter could help letting a chuckle or two escape.

"Hey, it was my first day – and I was a total cub back then; a complete rookie!" The current Tiger Ranger objected, "Give a guy a break!"

"Okay, I guess I can – it's not as embarrassing as some of the stories I could tell about **my** team's first days as Rangers," Jason grinned, "Still, I hope that hasn't happened again."

"Not yet," Casey smirked, "Hopefully never again."

"Good," The grin hadn't left Jason's face, "No matter what anyone says, Casey, you're one hell of a Red Ranger – easily as worthy of the mantle as all the others."

"Even you?" Casey asked. Jason nodded.

"Every team leader that came before you has had some kind of struggle, or made a rookie error, or had some of the same self-doubts as you; I doubted myself big-time after Tommy nearly destroyed us as the Evil Green Ranger, and even more when I couldn't stop Rita and Zedd from sapping those Green powers dry after he joined us. Tommy overestimated his team's powers and got a whole set of Zords wrecked once." Earth's oldest Red Rangers inwardly grimaced at the memories as Jason continued, "Later, when Tommy was Zeo V and his then-girlfriend broke up with him in a Dear John letter, his self-confidence was slagged; TJ's loss of the Turbo Technology – however temporary the loss turned out to be – was both an error and a self-confidence wrecker for a time... the list goes on, Casey, and every leader and Red Ranger has hit his or her own unique challenges, but none of them ever gave up. From the sounds of it, neither have you. Follow your heart and trust your gut, Casey, and you'll easily outshine us all."

Holding back a broad smile at the compliment, Casey nodded.

"I won't let you down." He vowed.

"I know." Jason smiled, before moving to stand in front of the entire Jungle Fury team.

"Your roster's not finished yet," the veteran Ranger spoke while pacing back and forth along the team's roster, "Your team's not even close to being complete; and the Beast War isn't over."

Carter couldn't help but look at the empty space next to RJ; when Dominic showed up, would all Ranger backup cease heading their way? There was no way to know.

"There will be others who will want to join your team or back you up; other Pai Zhua students, other Rangers..." Jason glanced at Fran out of the corner of his eye, "Even some civilians; regular, average people from places you'll least expect will back you up in the fight ahead, whether they become Rangers or not. Don't turn **any** of them away – because it's your teammates and allies who give you strength, and who you give strength in return."

"There are other fighters for good all over the planet, even some in other areas of the **universe**, who are willing to put their lives on hold entirely if it means backing you up and keeping everything safe," Tommy added, "Call on them, and on us, if you need anything once we leave."

"Understood," Casey nodded, before turning to Carter, "Good luck, bro."

"You too," Carter smiled at the Tiger Ranger, "See ya in August."


End file.
